This watermelon Moscow mule is a light, refreshing beverage that combines the classic vodka, ginger beer, and lime cocktail with cubes of fresh watermelon and mint.
Adapted from Fever-Tree | Fever-Tree Easy Mixing | Mitchell Beazley, 2021
Bright pink, fiercely fresh and dripping with soft, sweet flavor, watermelon is the perfect addition to the classic Mule. It not only brings out the natural brightness of the mint and the cooling quality of the lime, it also bubbles up through the vodka and peppery ginger beer so that every sip fizzes with flavor.–Fever-Tree
☞ Contents
Watermelon Moscow Mule FAQs
How do I know when a watermelon is ripe?
Great question. Thankfully, David has perfected the art and science of determining if a watermelon is perfectly ripe. Basically, weight, color, sound (yes, sound), and shape.
Can I make this non-alcoholic?
Sure. Just omit the vodka and replace it with club soda or lemon-lime soda.
In this recipe
Watermelon Moscow Mule
Ingredients
- Ice cubes
- 2 ounces premium vodka
- Two (1-inch) watermelon cubes (deseeded) plus more to garnish
- Ginger beer to top up
- 2 lime wedges
- Fresh mint sprig to garnish
Directions
- Fill a large highball glass with ice cubes.
- Pour over the vodka. Add the watermelon cubes and a couple more ice cubes.
- Stir gently to agitate the fruit. Top up with the ginger beer.
☞TESTER TIP: For a more pronounced watermelon and mint flavor in the cocktail, add the mint sprig to the watermelon and vodka and muddle the cocktail before topping with ginger beer.
- Squeeze over and then drop in the lime wedges. Garnish with a mint sprig and extra watermelon cubes.
Notes
Watermelon Moscow Mule with a Twist
Prefer a shaken cocktail? Combine the vodka and watermelon cubes in your cocktail shaker, then squeeze in 3 lime wedges. Add 1 teaspoon simple syrup, a few mint leaves, some ice cubes and shake vigorously. Pour into a glass, top with ginger beer and a few more ice cubes.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Moscow Mules are great drinks. Watermelon is the perfect fruit. Putting them together worked extremely well – and I liked the addition of a fresh mint spring.
If you’re looking for a pretty summer drink to sip, this watermelon Moscow mule might well fit the bill. I’m not usually fond of mint in drinks, but I managed with this one. The green from the spearmint and the lime was visually nice with the pink watermelon.
Perhaps nothing says summer like watermelon and this watermelon mule brings the taste of summer to an icy tall glass. I must admit that I muddled the watermelon cubes with the vodka in both versions to really extract that watermelon flavor.
I suggest skipping over the first variation and going directly to the more developed flavors of the Variation with a Twist. Make the homemade simple syrup and keep it on hand in the refrigerator. Muddle the vodka and watermelon and finish as written. You will be sitting on the back porch with a lovely summer drink in no time.
My time saving hint is to keep frozen cubes of watermelon on hand for when the urge strikes to make a watermelon mule. Enjoy!
Refreshing? Yes, and the color was a very pretty pink. I upped the amount of watermelon to match the Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, which has a good kick.
A quick muddle of several extra chunks of watermelon, and more mint and lime, complemented this brand, though I suspect that may be too much for a milder version.
Neither Sandro or I have ever had a Mule, so this was our first tasting. I had just cubed a super sweet watermelon earlier in the day so it was already ‘on hand’, and my potted mint was growing nicely. I picked up some Ginger Beer and we were ready to make cocktails for the family to enjoy on the deck this unseasonably hot evening.
They say you ‘taste with your eyes’ and the deep pink of the watermelon popped in color as it floated in the clear vodka/ginger beer mixture, only to be accented by the deep greens of the mint and limes. It looked refreshingly yummy – and it was!
We made the first recipe, not the variation, and its simplicity matched with its bubbly bright taste proved to make this surely become one of our summer favorites.
Originally published July 15, 2022
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Ilda Costa-Sarnicki
This watermelon Moscow mule had good looks and a refreshing taste. Definitely qualifies for a summer cocktail designation. I liked that it was served in a highball glass to show off the pretty watermelon cubes.
However, not all highballs are created equal. I used my favourite 8 ounce highball glass and it was a bit confined. I had to taste a good ounce to make room for another ounce of ginger beer and an extra watermelon cube.
For testing purposes (tough job), I also tried this recipe using frozen watermelon cubes as I always keep some frozen in the warmer months. I found the fresh watermelon to still retain a good cube shape once stirred, but also imparted a fresher watermelon flavour.
My favourite proportion was 2 ounces of vodka and 4 ounces of ginger beer. Then, this drink went from good to great, retaining the slight floral note of the watermelon with the zippy ginger flavour. So refreshing… Cheers!