Strawberry Moscow Mules

These strawberry Moscow mules have just 5 ingredients and take just 5 minutes to prepare. It’s the most refreshing cocktail for a hot summer afternoon!

Fresh strawberry season is short but sweet here in Michigan. Some years I’m able to get out and pick my own, but if not, I’m always sure to pick some up at the farmer’s market.

Aside from making my dad his favorite strawberry pie for his birthday, I’m sure to buy enough berries for salads, snacking, smoothies, and everything in between.

Everything in between meaning drinks, I guess! I love making a pitcher of strawberry ginger lemonade or honey lemonade on a June afternoon for the whole family to enjoy.

And for an adults-only gathering, nothing refreshes quite like a Moscow mule. My ultimate goal is to make a mule for all seasons!

I have a caramel apple cider mule for fall, a grapefruit mule for winter, and a bourbon mule that is perfect pretty much year ’round, and today, I’m bringing you this strawberry Moscow mule recipe perfect for any summer day. Don’t forget some spicy potato chips for snacking.

What’s in a Moscow mule?

According to the International Bartender’s Association, a classic Moscow mule recipe is 45 ml Smirnoff vodka, 120 ml ginger beer, and 10 ml fresh lime juice.

Truly, you can’t go wrong with that combination, but you’re certainly welcome to put your own spin on it and make it to your tastes.

I prefer Tito’s vodka, so I always use that instead of Smirnoff (and for candy corn shots, too). And, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not at all opposed to adding some seasonal elements, like I’ve done for this strawberry mule!

You’ll need preserves and fresh strawberries for this strawberry Moscow mule recipe!

These strawberry mules should really be called DOUBLE strawberry Moscow mules thanks to the combination of muddled fresh strawberries + strawberry preserves.

I really like using fruit preserves in Moscow mules, because it’s such an easy way to add flavor to a basic mixed drink with an ingredient you almost always have in your fridge. My husband is a jam, jelly and preserve fanatic, so we have a shelf in our fridge devoted to them.

But what if don’t have strawberry preserves on hand? Just like with the glaze for my Korean meatballs, here you can also use raspberry jam (also make a batch of heart jam cookies!), cherry jelly, apricot preserves (also great for my apricot glazed salmon), or whatever else is in your fridge door.

If you have vodka, ginger beer and limes, you already have a classic Moscow mule recipe. What you add beyond that is just the icing on the cake.

How to make a Moscow mule at home:

To make this strawberry Moscow mule recipe at home, you’ll want to start by chopping up a few fresh strawberries. Giving them a rough chop first makes them easier to muddle. Save some berries for a fried goat cheese salad or lemon pancakes!

Divide the strawberries between the mugs or glasses you are serving your mules in, and use a muddler (or even the back or handle of a wooden spoon) to mush and crush the berries into a pulp. If there are a few larger pieces, don’t worry about it!

Then, you’ll add strawberry preserves, vodka and fresh lime juice (squeeze it fresh, none of that bottled stuff!) to the mugs and stir until everything is combined.

From there, fill your mugs with ice, and then top your strawberry mules off with ginger beer (Fever Tree brand is my favorite). Give it a quick stir, garnish each mule with a fresh strawberry and a lime wedge, and cheers!

Why are Moscow mules served in copper mugs?

Moscow mules are served in copper mugs for a few reasons!

There’s conflicting origin stories for this cocktail (isn’t that true of every cocktail?) but one version suggest that the girlfriend of the bartender who created the drink owned a copper-making company. So interesting, right?

More importantly, probably, is that copper is an excellent conductor of temperature, meaning that iced drinks stay SUPER COLD in copper mugs!

In fact, there’s been times my strawberry Moscow mules have been so cold it’s felt like my esophagus was frozen. Sip carefully, friends!

Some Moscow mule enthusiasts even say that the copper itself makes the drink taste better by enhancing the flavors of the ginger beer and lime. I’m not sure about this (most cocktails, including my bourbon rosemary cocktail and cranberry rosemary cocktail, seem to taste just fine in a regular glass), but I guess it can’t hurt!

If you’re going to be drinking mules regularly, I do recommend investing in some copper mugs if you can. But if not, a double old fashioned glass works just fine for these strawberry mules!

Serve some snacks with these strawberry mules!

Who doesn’t like a little something to nibble on when they’re having a cocktail (or an agave lemonade for the non drinkers, perhaps)?

If it’s a truly hot June afternoon, I might whip up a batch of shrimp ceviche (well, you kind of have to plan for this one in advance) to serve with this strawberry Moscow mule recipe.

Meatballs are a great little party snack, with my Greek chicken meatballs and turkey meatballs recipe air fryer being popular around here (with basil cocktails, too). For the vegetarians, there’s my black bean meatballs.

Phyllo cup appetizers and smoked salmon pizza are some other great snack options. You can also use any extra strawberries to top a frozen yogurt pie for dessert.