Spicy Ginger Mule Cocktail With Kōloa Rum

I love a Moscow Mule, anyone else? To me, it’s a universally-appealing cocktail, because I could drink it in warm weather or cold weather and be just as delighted every single time! When Kōloa Rum challenged me to put a little holiday twist on this classic, I decided to spice things up. If you enjoy mint, lime and a mouth-warming feel, this Spicy Ginger Mule cocktail featuring Kōloa Kaua’i Spice Rum is for you!

Spicy Ginger Mule Cocktail With Kōloa Rum

I chose Kōloa Kaua’i Spice Rum for this cocktail, because I thought the spicy rum (that is slightly sweet) would be a good compliment to a cocktail that is traditionally made with vodka — and I wasn’t wrong! Kōloa’s version of spiced rum isn’t as sugary sweet as what you might normally drink, so while it’s a good balance for the other flavors, the spirit doesn’t overpower the cocktail.

To recreate this Spicy Ginger Mule Cocktail at home, you will need:

2 oz. Kōloa Kaua’i Spice Rum

3 oz. ginger beer

juice from half a lime

splash mint syrup**

fresh ginger, lime rind or mint to garnish

**Before we dive into the recipe, I wanted to talk a little bit about mint syrup and why not muddled mint for adding a hint of minty flavor. For starters, muddling mint can make an entire drink bitter. More on that here. Second, there is nothing more annoying to me than getting lots of little mint bits in my mouth when I’m drinking a cocktail. Mint syrup is a great remedy for that! I use this Mint Syrup recipe from Spoon University.

1. Add all of the ingredients into a tumbler (or copper mug) over ice.

2. Stir, garnish and enjoy!

If you’re local to Hawaii, I highly recommend checking out Island Ginger Beer from Maui Brewing Co for this recipe. You can find it at Whole Foods adjacent to where they stock the liquor.

Also a fun fact I learned in this process — the difference between ginger beer and ginger ale. Neither have alcohol and, to be fair, both would work in this recipe, but you will achieve two totally different cocktail flavors. Ginger beer is fermented and typically has a much stronger ginger flavor (a bit of a bite). Ginger ale is a carbonated drink made from water and ginger and with less of a gingery flavor.