As the days get longer, and Christmas draws near, it’s time for me to renew my focus on holiday drinks. Today’s entry is the Yule Mule. Based on the traditional mule formula of ginger beer, vodka, and lime juice, the Yule mule also introduces some subtle flavors of cranberry and orange. So tie a ribbon on that log, and stoke up the fire, and let’s get down to some mixology.
Another drink that doubles as a Christmas themed drink and a year-round standby is the Gingerbread Man cocktail. Ginger beer supplies the spice, while vanilla vodka mellows out the flavor and adds some body. Here’s the thing that I really like about this drink: two ingredients – three, if you count the cherry. For less than twenty bucks, you can serve this drink all night long.
It’s hard to imagine vodka not being that popular as a cocktail ingredient. But such a time did exist, back before the 1940s. Sure, vodka was big back in Europe, but gin was the far and away the go-to spirit for making drinks here in the United States. So how did vodka suddenly take off? It all began with a drink dubbed the Moscow Mule.
