Blackberry Moscow Mule Recipe with Mint

This blackberry Moscow mule recipe is a fun twist on the classic Moscow mule recipe thanks to the addition of fresh blackberries and mint. Here’s how to make a single cocktail, as well as a blackberry mule cocktail bar!

What is a Moscow mule?

A Moscow mule is a cocktail made with vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. The ginger beer is a non-alcoholic fizzy soda type drink, but it is much spicier and has a deeper flavor profile than ginger ale.

Moscow mules are traditionally served in copper mugs.

In our classic Moscow mule recipe post, I share more about the history of the Moscow mule for those of you that are food history nerds like me.

Why this will be your new favorite cocktail recipe

The combination of vodka, ginger, and lime is wonderful on its own. In fact, even though I don’t consider myself a vodka drinker (I’m a bourbon girl!), the Moscow mule is one of my favorite cocktails for summer. A mule is refreshing, light, and not too sweet.

But muddling the lime juice and vodka with blackberries and mint, gives you a cocktail that actually tastes like summer. Plus the blackberry juice gives this blackberry Moscow mule recipe a gorgeous pink hue that makes it perfect for a cocktail bar!

Mule Cocktail Supplies

Whatever kind of mule you’re making, here are a few supplies that we recommend. These also contain affiliate links, so we get a small (I mean teeny tiny!) commission if you buy ANYTHING from one of these links. But everything I link to, I have actually tried and love.

Cocktail Shaker

My absolute favorite cocktail shaker is a cute mason jar cocktail shaker set that doesn’t seem to be available anymore. Fortunately, you can still get Mason Jar Shaker Lids to turn any regular mouth mason jar into a cocktail shaker.

Jigger

A jigger is a special measuring cup with specific amounts use for cocktails. The Oxo jigger is my favorite because it has so many different measurements from 1/4 ounce to 1 1/2 ounces. The measuring info is etched into the steel so it won’t wear off, and the center is nice and grippy so it doesn’t get slippery when wet.

Muddler

A muddler is a stick with a textured end for extruding juice from fruit and bruising herbs to infuse their flavors into a cocktail. I really like a non-laquered wooden muddler because you don’t have to worry about any coating stripping off into your drink. Just wash and oil it after use, like any wooden utensil.

Copper Mugs

My moscow mule mugs are handcrafted by Morken Barware. I love that they are 100% copper, incredibly sturdy, and the handles (also copper!) are welded on. That way you don’t have to deal with dirt and leaks that can come with riveted handles.

While I can’t find the Morken mugs anymore, these Copper Mugs from Bennici seem to be of the same high quality. And $45 for 4 good copper mugs is a great price!

If you’re wondering why to bother with a copper mug, you certainly don’t have to. These are the traditional way to serve a Moscow mule because the metal gets SO cold and helps keep your drink cold.

But if you want to drink it in a glass, we’ve done that too.

Recipe Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for a blackberry Moscow mule with mint. First is for a single serving, and then is ingredients for a large batch cocktail bar.

Single Serve

• 3 fresh (or thawed frozen) blackberries
• 2 mint leaves
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 2 ounces Vodka
• 3 ounces Ginger Beer
• ice
• Additional mint, lime, berries for garnish if desired

Cocktail Bar

• 2 cups fresh (or thawed frozen) blackberries
• 30 mint leaves
• 1 1/2 cups lime juice
• 40 ounces vodka
• Bottles of ginger beer
• ice
• Additional mint, lime, berries for garnish
• Sugar for rimming glasses

Step by Step Instructions

Place blackberries and mint into a cocktail shaker for single serve, or a pitcher for a cocktail bar.

Press them with a muddler to release juices and bruise the leaves.

Add lime juice and vodka, then muddle a bit more.

Strain into a copper mug of ice and top off with ginger beer.

If making a large batch for a cocktail bar, strain into clean pitcher or beverage jug. See below for tips on a cocktail bar.

How to Set Up a Cocktail Bar

To set up this blackberry Moscow mule recipe as a cocktail bar, you’ll need some extra ingredients and supplies.

If you have enough copper mugs, they will look beautiful on the bar. If not, glasses will do fine.

Set your mugs or glasses out with an ice bucket (I prefer crushed ice), and a garnish station.

The garnish station should have sprigs of mint, fresh blackberries, lime wheels, and toothpicks.

I like to sugar the rim as well, just for fun. So you can put a few lime wedges and a plate of sugar out for that if you’d like.

Then I prep one mug with ice all the garnishes to help give people ideas. Make sure your ice is before the garnish station, because you’ll need it to hold up the blackberries and mint in the cup.

Next comes your jug of blackberry Moscow mule mix. Top the ice with half mix and half ginger beer.

I just leave bottles of ginger beer on the cocktail bar so they are opened as needed.

What’s the best ginger beer for Moscow mules?

Bundaberg Ginger Beer is flavorful, and also perfect for a cocktail bar because of the easy rip off lids. This is usually my go to. But my favorite ginger beer is actually Fever Tree. They use multiple gingers from different countries for an incredible depth of flavor.

I think I may need to do a ginger beer test video this summer!

How to Make non-alcoholic blackberry Moscow mules

Because the blackberry and mint impart such a wonderful flavor, it’s easy to turn these into a mocktail. Simply skip the vodka!

I actually had a small jar of alcohol free blackberry mint moscow mule mix on the cocktail bar because I happened to be pregnant at the time and couldn’t drink it myself!

You may want to make a double recipe of the mix, or simply use more ginger beer for a virgin cocktail recipe.

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