Strawberry Mule

5 from 42 votes

In the Strawberry Mule, sweet berries balance out tart lime and spicy ginger beer to make a refreshing summer cocktail. Make it the traditional way with vodka or try it with your favorite spirit.

A mule with strawberry slices and ice garnished with mint leaves and a lime wedge.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Feast + West may receive commissions for purchases made through those links — at no cost to you. All opinions are our own. Please read our full disclosure for more information.

Strawberry Mule recipe

When strawberries are in season, they are so juicy, succulent and heavenly. And that’s exactly why you should be using them to make cocktails.

The Strawberry Mule highlights all the best parts of strawberries. Balanced by spiced ginger beer and sour lime, this vodka cocktail is worthy of celebrating strawberry season.

This recipe calls for muddling fresh strawberries — you don’t even have to make a strawberry syrup.

Mule lovers will adore this fruity spin on the classic cocktail made with sweet strawberries.

More mule recipes: London MuleMezcal MuleFrench MuleChampagne MuleFrozen Mule

Two strawberry mules next to a sliced strawberry and whole lime.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This Strawberry Moscow Mule recipe is going to be one of your favorites:

  • Sweet and succulents, this strawberry cocktail is full of summer flavor.
  • You can customize it with other types of berries and spirits if you like.
  • This delicious drink has only four ingredients, so it’s a cinch to make.

It is the perfect cocktail to serve to friends at a dinner party or to sip by the pool.

Make this cocktail for bachelorette parties, baby showers, wedding showers, housewarming parties, girls’ night or guys’ night, or whenever you crave a fresh strawberry cocktail.

What is a Moscow Mule?

This strawberry mule is a spin on the classic Moscow mule, which is an easy-to-make, classic cocktail.

Traditional Moscow mules call for vodka, lime juice and ginger beer and is usually served in a copper mug to keep the drink ice cold. The name comes from vodka’s ties to Russia, but it’s an American drink.

It’s a versatile drink because you can make it in many different ways. There are so many variations to try when making Moscow mule recipes, but they fall into two main categories:

  1. You can experiment with flavor. Try adding fruit flavors with juices, infused alcohol or simple syrups. The pear mule, the grapefruit mule and the yule mule with cranberry juice are some of my favorites I’ve made.
  2. You can switch up the main spirit. I’ve also made the Mexican Mule with tequila, the Kentucky mule with bourbon and the Swedish Mule with aquavit.

Or you can do a mix of both! This strawberry cocktail falls into the “experiment with flavor” category because we add muddled strawberries.

An overhead view of the ingredients for a strawberry vodka cocktail on a white surface.

Tools & glassware

You don’t need a ton of special equipment for the Strawberry Moscow Mule. A jigger helps measure the ingredients and a citrus squeezer is ideal for getting the most out of the lime juice.

A muddler is ideal for mashing the strawberries in the cocktail shaker, but if you don’t have one, you can use the blunt end of a wooden spoon. A Hawthorne strainer helps remove seeds and pulp from the cocktail.

Mules are usually served in copper mugs, which keep them ice cold. They’re not a necessity, though — feel free to use a rocks glass instead if it’s what you have.

Ingredients

This strawberry mule cocktail only calls for a few ingredients, so make them the best ingredients you can afford. Here’s what to grab at the grocery store:

Vodka

Vodka is used in the classic Moscow mule recipe, but you can also use bourbon, tequila, mezcal, brandy, rum or gin if you prefer.

Always use the best alcohol you can afford! My go-to vodka brands are Tito’s, Deep Eddy, Reyka and Absolut.

A cheap vodka will taste cheap and stand out in your drink — and not in a great way — so stick to the $15-20 range if you can!

If you’d like to know more about vodka, dive into my Vodka 101 crash course.

washed strawberries in a colander

Strawberries

This recipe calls for diced strawberries that you will muddle with alcohol and lime juice before adding the ginger beer. This releases the essential oils, juices and strawberry flavor into the drink.

You can substitute strawberry vodka instead of muddling if you prefer. You could also use a splash of strawberry syrup.

Lime juice

If you have it on hand, fresh lime juice makes for the most refreshing cocktail. If not, feel free to use a good-quality lime concentrate. Fresh lemon juice will work as a substitute here.

I use this citrus squeezer to get the most juice out of my limes.

decorative icon of citrus slices.

Tip: Room temperature citrus is easier to juice than cold, refrigerated fruit. Set your citrus fruits out on the counter for a couple hours to warm up before juicing them.

a can of gosling's ginger beer with a piece of ginger beer and a piece of ginger root on a green tea towel

Ginger beer

Ginger beer is a fizzy, non-alcoholic beverage made from fermented ginger. I prefer the flavor of a spicy ginger beer, which has more of a zing of gingery flavor, but you can go sweeter here if you like.

Check out my list of the best brands of ginger beer to help you decide on a spice level that’s right for you.

Ginger ale is a ginger-flavored soda and is much sweeter than ginger beer. However, you can make a mule with ginger ale if you prefer or don’t have ginger beer.

Variations & substitutions

Try this cocktail a few different ways:

  • Strawberry mint mule: Add a handful of fresh mint leaves to your cocktail shaker and muddle them with the strawberries to give it a hint of strawberry mojito flavor.
  • Mixed berry mule: Use a mixture of berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or cherries instead of some of the strawberries.
  • Strawberry mule mocktail: Simply omit the vodka here or use a zero-proof spirit such as Ritual gin alternative.

You can also change up the spirit. Vodka is classic for mules, but you can also use bourbon, tequila, mezcal, brandy, rum or gin.

Strawberry pieces resting in vodka next to a wooden muddler.
A wooden muddler in a glass of red liquid.
A wooden muddler next to a strawberry mixture.

How to make a Strawberry Mule

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together vodka, strawberries and lime juice. You want the fresh fruit to be more of a pulp to release the oils and juices.

Strain the mixture into a Moscow mule mug filled with ice.

Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a fresh lime wedge, fresh berries or a sprig of mint.

Enjoy your strawberry mule with a tray of Moscow Mule cookies.

A copper and glass mule mug next to a strawberry and lime half.

Tips & tricks

Use a copper mug or other metal mug to keep the drink ice cold.

Add the ginger beer last so that it can bubble and foam to the top.

Try this drink with other types of berries, such as a blueberry mule, raspberry mule or blackberry mule.

Instead of vodka, use your favorite spirit. Gin would be so good in this drink!

What to serve with a Strawberry Mule

Anything with strawberries will be a hit! Other fruity recipes will also go well with a fruity cocktail.

For appetizers, serve this perfect drink with strawberry bruschetta or strawberry salsa. A charcuterie board outfitted with fresh berries would also be delicious.

If you want to serve these mules with a main meal, they would go well with chicken or fish. And a tasty strawberry salad.

For dessert, try it with chocolate-covered strawberries or strawberry pretzel salad.

A mule with strawberry slices and a lime wedge.

FAQ

Is the mule the same as a Moscow Mule?

The name of the Moscow Mule cocktail is sometimes shortened to simply “mule.” A Moscow Mule contains vodka, and gets its name from vodka’s Russian origin. However, the drink is American. The name changes when other spirits are used. For example, it’s a Kentucky Mule when made with bourbon, a Mexican Mule when made with tequila or a London Mule when made with gin.

Does a Moscow Mule have to be in a copper cup?

While the copper mug helps to keep the Moscow mule ice cold, it’s not a requirement. Feel free to use a rocks glass instead.

More strawberry cocktails

— Did you make this recipe? —

Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.

Two strawberry mules next to a sliced strawberry and whole lime.

Strawberry Mule

Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
The Strawberry Moscow Mule puts a sweet, fresh spin on the classic vodka cocktail.
5 from 42 votes
Print Pin

ingredients

instructions

  • In a cocktail shaker, muddle together vodka, strawberries and lime juice.
  • Strain into a mule mug filled with ice.
  • Top with ginger beer. Garnish with fresh lime or fresh berries.

notes

Don't have fresh strawberries? You can substitute strawberry vodka instead of muddling fresh ones. You could also use a splash of strawberry syrup.
Don't have or want to use vodka? Use your favorite spirit. Gin especially would be so good in this drink! Bourbon, rum, tequila and brandy would all work well too.

recommended products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

nutrition information

Yield: 1 cocktail

amount per serving:

Serving: 1oz Calories: 212kcal Carbohydrates: 21g Sodium: 11mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 19g
did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #feastandwestrecipes!
decorative icon of a beer stein.

The Golden Ratio Guide:

Mix the perfect cocktail, every time

Reader Interactions

5 from 42 votes (42 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!