Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Vodka Cocktails

Kickin’ Mule

By
Kelly Magyarics
Kelly Magyarics
Kelly Magyarics
Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is a wine, spirits, travel, food and lifestyle writer and wine educator.
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Updated 02/23/23
A tapered copper Moscow Mule mug has intricate flower designs on it and a swooping handle. It rests on a leather coaster on a reflective bar top, with ice poking up, a slice of apple and cinnamon stick as garnish.
Image: Triple Creek Ranch

Thanks to its balance of sweet, spicy and tart flavors, the Moscow Mule is a consummate year-round drink. Its refreshing, zesty profile makes it a pleasing summer quaff, but its gingery, boozy spice makes it just as pleasant in the winter. However, this version from the luxe Triple Creek Ranch, located in Darby’s Bitterroot Mountain Range of the Montana Rockies, is a decidedly autumnal take. “The combination of pear vodka, warm cinnamon and spicy ginger beer is the perfect way to spice up a chilly holiday night in the mountains of Montana,” head bartender Patty Pyles says of the The Kickin’ Mule.

In the Kickin’ Mule, Grey Goose La Poire—a fine French vodka flavored with Anjou pear—is mixed with fresh-pressed apple cider, a homemade smoked cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, ginger beer and Bitter Truth pimento dram, a Jamaican rum-based allspice liqueur. “The pear and cinnamon are a classic flavor combination, while the ginger beer gives it that spicy kick, hence the name,” says Pyles. The smoked cinnamon syrup adds another dimension to the drink, but you should feel free to substitute it with regular simple syrup and a dash of cinnamon, if desired.

Fever Tree is the brand of ginger beer that Pyles uses for the drink. A label well-regarded for its fresh, spicy take on a naturally fermented ginger beer, the brand is available in most markets. But it can also be substituted with a product like Q Ginger Beer or Fentimans. And if you want to go really all out, you can always try your hand at making your own ginger beer. Whatever you choose, be sure not to use ginger ale by mistake, as its sweeter, less spicy profile will throw off the drink’s balance.

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces Grey Goose La Poire vodka
  • 1/4 ounce The Bitter Truth pimento dram
  • 2 1/2 ounces fresh-pressed apple cider
  • 1/2 ounce smoked cinnamon syrup*
  • 1/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • Fever-Tree ginger beer, to top
  • Garnish: apple wheel slice
  • Garnish: cinnamon stick

Steps

  1. Add the pear vodka, pimento dram, apple cider, cinnamon syrup and lemon juice into a copper mug or Collins glass with ice and gently stir.

  2. Top with ginger beer.

  3. Garnish with the apple slice and cinnamon stick.

  4. Serve with straw.

*Smoked cinnamon syrup: Burn 4 cinnamon sticks with a kitchen torch until lightly charred. Add the cinnamon sticks, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and store the syrup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (Optionally, use 1/2 ounce simple syrup mixed with 1 dash ground cinnamon).