After memorable drinks and meals at a fantastic farm to table restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, I learned to make Moscow Mules. The essential ingredients are ginger beer and vodka but I learned to enhance this cocktail by adding fresh ginger. As this year’s holiday season approached, I saw a recipe for cranberry simple syrup and decided to create a Moscow Yule. The splash of red color and tartness adds a beautiful element to the original recipe.

Here is the recipe.

Moscow Yule

For the cranberry simple syrup:

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. sugar

Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add 1 c. fresh cranberries. Simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries soften and pop. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain, discarding the cranberries. Will keep in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

The actual recipe for 2 drinks:

1 rounded T. fresh ginger, grated

2 T. cranberry simple syrup

the juice of 1 lime

1 T. maple syrup

1/2 c. ginger beer

5 T. vodka

1 T. brandy

Ice cubes

In a large glass, stir together the fresh ginger, cranberry simple syrup, lime juice and maple syrup. Add the vodka, brandy and ginger beer. Stir. Strain into 2 cocktail glasses filled with ice cubes. (It is traditionally served in copper mugs.) Garnish with sugared cranberries (recipe below) and a twist of lime, if desired.

To make sugared cranberries, bring 3/4 c. water and 1 c. sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add 2 cups of cranberries. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Weight the cranberries down with a plate to keep them submerged; refrigerate. After several hours, use a slotted spoon to transfer cranberries to a wire rack, spreading them so they don’t touch each other. Let dry 1 hour. Then, roll cranberries in sugar, and let them dry another hour. They are ready to use.