Gingerbread Mule Cocktail

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Raise a glass to the most wonderful time of year with this very merry gingerbread mule cocktail! Made with a homemade gingerbread simple syrup, spicy ginger beer, fresh lime juice and your favorite spirit, this Christmas mule is full of the holiday season's best flavors, and it couldn't be simpler to whip up. Plus, it comes with an option for batching for easy entertaining. With one sip, this is sure to be your new favorite holiday cocktail.

Two gingerbread mule cocktails on wooden coaster with ornaments next to them and a gingerbread house with lights in the background.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make a Pitcher of Mules
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Get More Christmas Cocktails
📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for holiday parties: Between those classic festive flavors and the pitcher option, don’t be surprised if this cocktail becomes a new tradition for your holiday gatherings. And believe me — once your friends and family get a taste, they’ll beg you to make it every year. After all, who doesn't love a holiday twist on a classic cocktail?

Full of warm spices: Take a sip and you’ll agree this tastes like Christmas in a copper mug. It’s the perfect cozy sipper for this time of year.

Ultra versatile: Prefer a gingerbread Moscow mule? Vodka works well. Bourbon is also great to turn this into a gingerbread Kentucky mule. It would even pair beautifully with white or dark rum or even a nice reposado tequila. Pick your own adventure.

Related: For more holiday cocktail recipes, you’ll also love my Christmas sangria, peppermint-chocolate martini and Baileys eggnog.

Ingredients

Preferred spirit: As mentioned, you can use vodka, white or dark rum, bourbon or tequila. You could even get extra festive and use cinnamon whiskey for a hint of extra spice. After recipe testing, both Matt and I decided bourbon was our favorite, but we wouldn’t be sad if we had to drink any of the other varieties.

The sweet bourbon with its caramel and vanilla notes works so well with the gingerbread spice. That’s what I put in the recipe card, but you’ll see in the notes section that you can swap another spirit of choice.

Gingerbread simple syrup: I highly recommend using my homemade gingerbread syrup, which I created to use in my favorite gingerbread latte. We make it with fresh ginger, molasses, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, vanilla extract and just a touch of orange zest. Trust me — it’s way more delicious than anything you can buy and makes a world of difference in this cocktail.

Lime juice: Make sure you use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled juice. The flavor is much better if you take just a few seconds to squeeze your own juice.

Ginger beer: Ginger beer is a sparkling fermented beverage. Traditionally, ginger beer was alcoholic, but these days, most ginger beers on the market are nonalcoholic, which is what this Christmas Moscow mule recipe uses.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mule cocktails are traditionally made right in the cup — no need for a cocktail shaker here. We start by adding the spirit, gingerbread simple syrup, lime juice and ice to a copper cup (photo 1).

A hand pouring in a shot of bourbon into the copper mug with holiday decor all around.

Step 2: Now we stir it with a bar spoon until the outside of the mug starts to build condensation (photo 2).

A hand holding a copper bar spoon stirring the drink with ice in a copper mug on a wooden coaster.

Step 3: We pour in the ginger beer and gently stir to combine (photo 3).

A hand holding a bottle of ginger beer pouring it into a copper mug on a wooden coaster.

Step 4: For our final step and an extra fun touch, we garnish the drink with a cinnamon stick and sprig of rosemary (photo 4). You could even serve it with a gingerbread cookie.

A hand adding a cinnamon stick and rosemary sprig to the copper mug as a garnish.

Just like that, you’re ready to play some Christmas carols and sip on this delightful gingerbread cocktail to celebrate the holiday season. Don’t you feel extra festive enjoying all those delightful gingerbread flavors? And if you're looking for more seasonal mules, you'll also love my cranberry Moscow mule.

How to Make a Pitcher of Mules

As promised, I have the perfect pitcher recipe to make your holiday entertaining stress free. Here’s the rundown.

Add your favorite spirit, gingerbread syrup, lime juice and a handful of ice or two to a large pitcher.
Stir for about 15-20 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove any remaining ice.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. After that, the lime juice starts to lose its bright quality.
Right before serving, gently pour in the ginger beer.
Serve, sip and enjoy!

You can find the exact ingredient proportions in the notes section of the recipe card.

Recipe FAQs

How long does the homemade gingerbread simple syrup last?

As long as you keep it in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator, it should last for several weeks.

Do you have to serve the gingerbread mule in a copper mug?

While this is the traditional serving glass for a mule and it certainly makes for a pretty presentation, you do not have to use copper mugs. This type of glassware is used because it’s an excellent insulator, but a double old fashioned glass or a highball glass can work just as well.

Can you use ginger ale instead of ginger beer?

I do not recommend substituting ginger beer for ginger ale. Ginger beer has a distinct taste with a more robust, spicier ginger flavor while ginger ale is much sweeter. The two make for entirely different drinks, and you won’t get that classic mule flavor without ginger beer.

Can you make this nonalcoholic?

Absolutely, you have a few options. As mocktails continue to take off, you can buy all sorts of nonalcoholic spirits these days. Another option is to substitute the spirit with a splash of sparkling water, cranberry juice or orange juice — both juices are lovely with those holiday spices.

Expert Tips

Use fresh lime juice: It only takes a few seconds and makes a huge difference in flavor.

Pick juicy limes: The best limes have some give when you press into them. Don’t buy hard limes — they’re dried out.

Chill your ginger beer: For an extra frosty mug, refrigerate the ginger beer before using. Room-temperature ginger beer will make your ice melt too fast.

Don’t skip the homemade gingerbread simple syrup: Store-bought gingerbread syrup doesn’t come anywhere close to matching this recipe. For the very best gingerbread mule, you want to use this syrup. In case you don’t believe me, here’s a testament straight from a reader.

“I made this today and it is fantastic! I had a gingerbread Moscow mule at a restaurant last weekend and knew I wanted to make my own. Instead of buying gingerbread syrup, I used this recipe. It's delicious! I also plan on using it in lattes, as a glaze for winter cakes, and on top of waffles or pancakes. Thank you for creating this recipe!” —Lindsey

Perfect Pairing

Naturally, this holiday mule calls for a gingerbread treat. Fortunately, I have plenty of options for you. Try my gingerbread tiramisu, pumpkin gingerbread, gingerbread pudding or gingerbread ice cream. They’re all perfect flavor matches.

That delicious taste of gingerbread is also wonderful with orange-flavored desserts. My spiced orange tres leches cake and cranberry-orange cookies are fabulous options.

For a taste of the holidays in every sip, you’ll love this festive gingerbread mule. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Cheers!

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