Holiday Cocktail: Bourbon Mulled Spice Mule.

It’s finally here! The holiday season has officially begun, and so has the Christmas music in my place! Ha-ha, too soon, I know, but there’s something so uplifting about it. Pandora alerted me that their Christmas music station was live, so I completely took the bait and starting lip-syncing jingles. Now that the Farmers Markets I visit have also switched gears for the fall season, I have been finding all types of inspiration with the new fruits and vegetables lined up on my Sunday and Monday visits.

On my trip today, I was greeted with mounds and mound of pomegranates! How can you not love the red, beady, juicy fruit, that’s festive and provides antioxidants? Here’s a tip for peeling a pomegranate: always use an apron! Seriously. Every time I’ve been lazy and forgot to put one on, the little kernels from the fruit would burst and fling onto my outfit, leaving a permanent stain on my clothes. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so!

This afternoon, I knew I wanted to make a cocktail, so I went on Instagram stories and did a pole: spiced margarita or mule? The mule won, but I’ll probably end up making a recipe for both, so don’t fret margarita lovers. In the summer, a vodka-based Moscow Mule is very refreshing and can go down quite fast on a hot day, but for fall, the idea of a spicier, more full-bodied mule sounded great for this time of year.

And so it was born, my new Bourbon Mulled Spice Mule! My new holiday inspired cocktail is made with Bulleit Kentucky Bourbon, Williams Sonoma Mulling Syrup, fresh lime juice and ginger beer (I used Trader Joe’s Brewed Ginger Beer). For fall garnishes, I added a rosemary sprig and slices of Bartlett pear topped pomegranate seeds and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. This is the perfect drink to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas, especially if you are feeling wined-out.

Please let me know if you try making this drink, and don’t forget to tag me @lovehappyhour and #lovehappyhour on Instagram or Twitter, so I can see your awesome cocktail creation!

Bourbon Mulled Spice Mule

Ingredients:

2 oz Bulleit Bourbon

1 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz Williams Sonoma Mulling Syrup

4 oz ginger beer

ice

Garnish:

Pear slices, Pomegranate seeds, Pumpkin pie spice, Rosemary sprig

Directions:

In a shaker, combine bourbon, syrup, lime juice and ice. Give a quick shake, then strain over fresh ice.. Top with ginger beer, then stir with a bar spoon and add garnishes.