Holiday Gin Mule

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Cocktail History

The Holiday Gin Mule is a Sips From Scripts original cocktail that we created for a sampling event at a local grocery store during the holidays. This recipe was specifically made to use with La Crosse Distilling Company’s Christmas Gin, a limited edition spirit flavored with blackcurrant and released at Christmastime. The bitterness of the spirit is then tempered with the sweetness of our homemade apple cinnamon syrup, lime juice, and ginger beer.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Blackcurrant Gin: This is the base spirit. It adds noticeable blackcurrant flavor. We used La Crosse Distilling Company Christmas Gin, but if you can’t find this specific gin, you could substitute another blackcurrant or cranberry-flavored gin. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Dry London Spirit and blackcurrant syrup in place of the gin.

Apple Cinnamon Syrup: This is a sweetener made with apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and white sugar. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.

Lime Juice: This adds sour citrus flavors for balance. We prefer to use fresh citrus juice because it’s less bitter than the bottled stuff and tastes much better.

Ginger Beer: This adds ginger beer flavor, stretches out the drink, and makes it lighter and more refreshing. We recommend using Q Mixers Ginger Beer to most closely replicate this recipe’s taste, but other ginger beers may work if you can’t find that brand.

Rosemary: This is one of the garnishes. It adds fragrant herbal aromas as you sip.

Cranberries: These are the other garnish.

Tasting Notes

The Holiday Gin Mule features savory aromas of the herb garnish, has a slightly spicy taste that features apple and cinnamon immediately then botanical gin soon after while held in the mouth, and finishes with a distinct blackcurrant flavor from the gin on the swallow. 

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both loved this cocktail, but Kendall especially did and has already requested it again several times over the last few weeks. This also led to us likely being one of the reasons the Christmas Gin sold out here in the Chippewa Valley so quickly; we’ve made sure to pick up a bottle every time we’ve seen one. Thankfully, it’s a little too bitter and sharp on the palate for any of our friends who don’t live and breathe gin like we do, but that does make it hard to recreate the magic of this recipe yourself. If you come across blackcurrant gin in your neck of the woods, pick up a bottle and give our mule a try.

Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.

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Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.

Take Our Quiz →

Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“For this recipe, I wanted to use the Christmas Gin, which has a pretty intensely bitter flavor thanks to the blackcurrant. In ‘field tests’ we did with friends, they all found it too bitter in Gimlets and other recipes, even though I find it fascinatingly delicious as a gin lover. Kendall and I finally settled on this mule format since those are beloved by so many, and the result did not disappoint. It features the sweetness and spice of the apple, cinnamon, and ginger balanced nicely with the botanical and bitter blackcurrant notes from the gin. While it still has a fairly aggressive bitterness on the finish, it’s very palatable even to the sweeter palates, and it was definitely a huge hit among the folks sampling it that day.”

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This is it! This is my favorite Christmas cocktail of 2021. I have never been a big fan of mules… Why? No idea, but this one is absolutely incredible thanks to La Crosse Distilling Company’s fabulous blackcurrant gin and Alex’s homemade apple cinnamon syrup. The flavors pair beautifully and aren’t too bitter even though the gin certainly is on the bitter side. I could talk about this cocktail all day, but I’ll leave it at you definitely need to try the Holiday Gin Mule right away.”

Recipe

AuthorSips From Scripts

Yields1 ServingPrep Time5 mins

Ingredients
 2 oz Blackcurrant Gin
 ½ oz Lime Juice
 4 oz Ginger Beer
 1 Rosemary Sprig
 3 Cranberries

Method
1

Add gin, apple cinnamon syrup, lime juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.

2

Shake for 10-20 seconds.

3

Strain into a lowball glass over fresh crushed ice.

4

Top with ginger beer.

5

Garnish with rosemary sprig and cranberries.

Ingredients

Ingredients
 2 oz Blackcurrant Gin
 ½ oz Lime Juice
 4 oz Ginger Beer
 1 Rosemary Sprig
 3 Cranberries

Directions

Method
1

Add gin, apple cinnamon syrup, lime juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.

2

Shake for 10-20 seconds.

3

Strain into a lowball glass over fresh crushed ice.

4

Top with ginger beer.

5

Garnish with rosemary sprig and cranberries.

Holiday Gin Mule

Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Dry London Spirit and blackcurrant syrup in place of the gin to try a booze-free version of this drink.

Tools & Glassware We Recommend

Anchor Hocking Manchester Rocks Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses, 10.5 oz (Set of 12) -
Anchor Hocking Manchester Rocks Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses, 10.5 oz (Set of 12) –
Pack of 12 small clear glasses; made in the USA; Dishwasher Safe; 10.5- Fl ounce capacity
$24.99
Marquis by Waterford Crosby Double Old Fashion, set of 4
Marquis by Waterford Crosby Double Old Fashion, set of 4
Marquis by Waterford Crosby Collection; Made from Genuine Crystalline; 10 ounce Capacity; Perfect for Everyday Use and Entertaining
I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Picks Martini Picks Set (Pack of 15)
I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Picks Martini Picks Set (Pack of 15)
Measure: 4.25″; Material: stainless steel 304, color: silver; Reusable martini olive skewers, stainless steel olive stuffer.
$6.99

More Christmas Cocktails

If you like this Christmas cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cocktail Recipe

Chocolate-Covered Cherry: A brandy cocktail made with dark crème de cacao, cherry liqueur, and a cherry

Kohler Mint Cocoa Cocktail Recipe

Kohler Mint Cocoa: A chocolate mint brandy cocktail made with milk, white peppermint schnapps, dark crème de cacao, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and grated chocolate

Candy Cane Martini Cocktail Recipe

Candy Cane Martini: A vodka cocktail made with white crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, simple syrup, and crushed candy cane

Grand Galliano Cocktail Recipe

Grand Galliano: A low-proof cocktail made with Liquore Galliano L’Autentico, Grand Marnier, heavy cream, an orange twist, and grated nutmeg

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