Blueberry Moscow Mule with Homemade Ginger Beer for #SundaySupper

I absolutely love berries. I eat strawberries, raspberries or blueberries on a daily basis, either in my morning Greek Yogurt parfait or breakfast smoothie. I also like to add them into my cocktails. When I heard that Nicole from Daily Dish Recipes (follow her blog, she is amazing) was hosting a Berry themed #SundaySupper, I got super excited and knew instantly what I was bringing to the table.....

One of my favorite cocktails in 2013 is the Moscow Mule. I was introduced to this cocktail last summer by my friend Lauren and I since have turned quite a few of my friends into huge fans of this delicious drink. Now it's my time to introduce it to you. If you are not familiar with the Moscow Mule, here is a quick history lesson - The story of the Moscow Mule begins in 1939 when Rudolph Kunett sold the Smirnoff brand to John Martin, head of G.F. Heublein & Bros. In 1941, John Martin and "Jack" Morgan, President of Cock 'n' Bull Products (which produced ginger beer) and proprietor of the Cock 'n' Bull restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in L.A.  Using Martins Vodka and Morgans Ginger beer, the Moscow Mule was born. The drink faded it's popularity in the 1960's but regained it's place as a top seller, especially after Oprah named it as one of her favorite things in 2012.

First - a Moscow Mule is not a Moscow Mule without the Copper Mug. I am so obsessed with the authenticity of this cocktail that I ordered mugs for my house. For this weeks Sunday Supper, I attempted a first, making my own Ginger Beer at home. Odd as it sounds, your ice is very important for this recipe. Some prefer large square ice cubes while other say it's got to be crushed. For this recipe, I used crushed ice.

Making your own Ginger Beer Concentrate
adapted from Cookie + Kate

Ingredients
1lb pounds fresh ginger, roughly peeled (I used my hand peeler)
2 cups filtered water, divided
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup of agave nectar or pure cane sugar
Club soda (I used my Soda Stream for fresh Soda Water)

Instructions 

• In a food processor you will need your shredder and chopper disk - first use your shredder and shred the peeled ginger.
• Replace your disk and liquefy the ginger with 3/4 cup of water for 3 minutes.
• Strain the juice into a large bowl or pitcher (I used my boyfriends Coffee Press which worked magically...shhh dont tell).
• Transfer the ginger pulp back to to the blender or food processor, add another 1/2 cup of water, and liquefy again.
• Strain again, adding the liquid to the first batch. 
• Repeat once more
• Place the solids in a coffee filter and squeeze as much juice as you can then discard solids, you shouldn't have much left over.
• Place your ginger concentrate in a blender, add lime juice and sweetener. Blend for 30 seconds
• Test the flavor of your ginger beer to make sure it is to your liking - use 2 ounces ginger concentrate to 8 oz Club Soda. If you are like me and like extra strong Ginger Beer, you can add more.  The Concentrate is good for up to three weeks but you can freeze it if necessary.
• If you prefer to use crushed ice in this recipe, use your blender. Mine made perfectly snow cone shaved ice which was perfect for this drink. 

Blueberry Moscow Mule Recipe

2 oz Blueberry Vodka (I used Van Gogh Acai Blueberry Vodka)
3 to 4 oz Ginger beer
2 Lime wedges
Handful of Blueberries
Crushed ice (I crushed mine in my blender)

I am super excited to check out the recipes from my #SundaySupper Family - check out the rest of the group is bringing to the table this week!

Breakfast & Brunch

• Angel Food French Toast with Blueberry Lemon Sauce by Neighborfood
• Blueberry Lemon Baked Doughnuts by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Blueberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal by Pies and Plots
• Overnight Strawberry Stuffed French Toast by In The Kitchen With KP
• The Best Blueberry Muffin by Supper For a Steal

Sweet & Savory Berry Recipes

• Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Wild Blueberry Sauce by Noshing With The Nolands
• Red, White, and Blue Chicken Salad by MarocMama
• BBQ Strawberry Pizza by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Jams, Jelly, Sauces & More

• Blackberry Ketchup by Healthy. Delicious
• Four-Berry Jelly by Blueberries and Blessings
• Mixberry Jam with Merlot by The Urban Mrs
• Roasted Strawberry Tarragon Butter by Gourmet Drizzles
• Strawberry Freezer Jam by Growing Up Gabel

Desserts

• Strawberry Crumb Bars by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• No-Bake Frozen Berrylicious Cracker Cake by Shockingly Delicious
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie by Hip Foodie Mom
• Caramelized White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake by Vintage Kitchen
• Strawberry Shortcakes by Juanita’s Cocina
• Berrylicious Ice Cream by NinjaBaking.com
• Stove Top Berry Crumble by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Peggy’s Cove Blueberry Grunt by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Chocolate-Raspberry Yoghurt Cookies by What Smells So Good?
• Strawberry Ice Cream by Basic N Delicious
• Financiers with a Summer Berry Salad by The Lovely Pantry
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad by Curious Cuisiniere
• Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits by The Weekend Gourmet
• Summer Berry Salad with a Honey Citrus Dressing by Runner’s Tales
• Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream by Foxes Love Lemons
• Strawberries with Cannoli Cream by Comfy Cuisine
• Almond Cake with Blackberry Mascarpone Filling by Ruffles & Truffles
• Oregon Strawberry Sundae {Dairyfree} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Blackberry Pie w/Brandied Whipped Cream by Webicurean
• Vo-Vo’s Famous Strawberry Cheesecake by Family Foodie
• Raspberry Mousse by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Mini Strawberry Cheesecake with Walnut Crust by Soni’s Food
• Salted Caramel Strawberries With a Crunchy Nut Coating by Sue”s Nutrition Buzz
• Strawberry Blueberry Stuffed Monkey Bread by Daily Dish Recipes

Cocktails, Drinks & Smoothies

• Berry Berry Smoothie by Momma’s Meals
• Blueberry Infused Vodka by Big Bear’s Wife
• Blueberry Moscow Mule with Homemade Ginger Beer by I Run For Wine
• Goji Berry Martini by Magnolia Days
• Irish Cobbler by girlichef

Party Planning

• Recipes + Tips to Create A Summer Berry Cocktail Bar by An Appealing Plan

Check back on Sunday for all of wonderful Summer Berries recipes! We'd love if you joined our #SundaySupper chat on Twitter too: we’ll tweet throughout the day and share all of our recipes. Then at 7:00pm EST we'll start our weekly chat. Please jump in anytime and join us! To join in, just follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets. You can also check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and photos.