Moscow Mules

I have developed a bit of a crush on a new (to us) drink. It's rare for us to find drink that both of us really love, plus they are served in super sweet cups which helps, too. The beverage? A Moscow Mule. The best way I can describe it would be that it tastes like a hard ginger ale. Um, yes please! I've seen the cups online for the past year or so but didn't give it the time of day because I am not much of a hard liquor drinker, especially vodka...blech! This all changed over Christmas when we were visiting Eric's Mom and her hubby. She served us Moscow Mules one night and we were both hooked. So naturally I scoured Montgomery for the ingredients and the cups (at a reasonable price...they can get expen$ive)!

What you Need:

crushed ice

splash of vermouth

2 oz vodka

4 oz ginger beer

4 oz(ish) limeade* (prepared ahead of time)

How to make it:

*Limeade - thaw 1 can of frozen Limeade and mix with 3.5 (limeade) cans full of water in a pitcher.  Set aside....this is the limeade mixture you will use for your drinks.

Fill a Moscow Mule Mug 1/3 - 1/2 of the way full with crushed ice. Splash vermouth over ice just to get it wet. Pour in 2 oz vodka and 4 oz ginger beer. Top the drink off with limeade mixture-roughly 4 oz, give or take an ounce. You may need to add another handful of crushed ice if the ice has already started melting. Stir and serve immediately. You can garnish with a lime wedge if you'd like to.

Christmas trees make great garnish, too!

The hardest ingredient to find by far was the ginger beer. Most grocery stores don't sell it in my experience.  It's non-alcoholic beer and you can find it with the drink mixers, not with the other beers. Our Walmarts carry one brand, packaged in 4 packs of 8 oz cans (think Red Bull can size). If you want variety, check World Market. They carry 4 or 5 different brands. So far my favorite is the Fever Tree brand at World Market. It has a really strong ginger/citrus flavor to it and is delicious!

The cups are a nice addition, too, and I think the drink tastes better when you drink it out of one. I priced them at three different stores and found them anywhere from $9.99/each to $19.99 each, and I am sure you could pay a lot more if you wanted to. Target was the winner with $10 cups. Eric and I treated ourselves with a set of 4 as an early Christmas present to each other.

So there you have it. Now go forth and drink happy! =)