The Best Pumpkin Spice Moscow Mule Recipe for Toasting Fall

If you’re looking for a cocktail that naturally complements the traditional blend of pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger), then look no further than the Moscow Mule. The inclusion of ginger beer makes Moscow Mules a perfect candidate for harmonizing with fall flavors.

Our homemade pumpkin pie simple syrup includes real pumpkin, not just the traditional spices. You can DIY the mix at home. It will have your kitchen smelling incredible as the scent of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices warm aromatically.

Once you’ve cooked up the syrup and let it cool, it’s a snap to mix together this creative cocktail. Make the pumpkin spice syrup ahead of time in order to offer a signature drink for a fall backyard get-together or autumnal celebration. It’s also an excellent treat for just yourself, and worth the extra effort!

The Secret to a Delightful Pumpkin Spice Mule

Pumpkin spice sometimes gets a bad rap as sticky-sweet or ‘overdone’ for the fall. Really, though, we think the criticism is unfounded. Pumpkin pie spice is all about using those classic spices to create warm flavors that complement in-season produce during the harvest. And while you can certainly make this cocktail sweeter to your own tastes, we find it to be a well-balanced drink that allows all the flavors to shine.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Syrup 

In a traditional Moscow Mule, it’s freshly squeezed lime juice that provides that bracing, acidic complement to the ginger beer; in our version of a pumpkin spice Mule, it’s a spiced simple syrup that adds complexity and sings beautifully with the flavor of ginger.

While prepackaged syrups are available, making your own is fairy simple and will give you more control over the ingredients. If you’re only making one or two cocktails, you can use the rest of the syrup for coffee or lattes.

Pumpkin Spice Mule

This Pumpkin Spice Mule is everything but #basic - it is simple to make and so so tasty, making it the perfect way to get your fall on. Prep Time 5minutes mins Cook Time 0minutes mins Course Drinks Cuisine American Servings 1 person Equipment Stove Sauce pan Spoon or whisk Jar, bottle, or container for storing simple syrup Copper Mug Copper Cocktail Shaker

Ingredients

• Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

Pumpkin Spice Mule Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz pumpkin spice simple syrup
• 5 oz ginger beer
• 8 oz ice 

Instructions

Pumpkin Pie Spice Simple Syrup

1. Add the sugar, water, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice mix to a small sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat. 2. Stir or whisk until the ingredients are completely combined and the sugar is dissolved. 3. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner, and let the syrup cool. 4. Once it's cool enough, transfer it to a clean jar, bottle, or other container to continue cooling. The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator until needed. 

Pumpkin Spice Mule Recipe

1. Add ice to your copper mug shaker. 2. Pour vodka and pumpkin pie spice simple syrup over the ice. 3. Pour about half of the ginger beer into the shaker. 4. Shake vigorously until the liquid is thoroughly chilled. 5. Add ice to your copper mug. 6. Pour the liquid from the mixer into the mug, over the ice. 7. Top the drink off with the rest of the ginger beer. 

Notes 

Ingredient Notes

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own! It's simply a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, with about half of the mix being cinnamon and the other half the additional spices. Sometimes, cooks will also add allspice to the mix. Allrecipes has directions for making your own pumpkin spice if you'd like exact directions.

Be sure to look for canned pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling. The former is cooked and pureed pumpkin; the latter contains other ingredients, including sweetener, and has a consistency that will not lend itself well to the syrup.

Your choice of ginger beer can tip the drink from the spicy to the sweet. Either a sweeter or a spicy ginger beer will pair gorgeously in this cocktail; check out our Moscow Mule ingredient recommendations for insight into which bottles you may want to stock.

Use crushed ice in the mugs to keep the drinks extra cold. 

Tips for Great Pumpkin Spice Mules

When making the homemade pumpkin spice syrup, be sure that the sugar completely dissolves. Otherwise, the syrup will not be smooth or even.

The syrup should thicken slightly and be able to coat the back of a spoon while cooking. However, remember that it will thicken more while cooling, and do not over-cook. 

Serve the drinks in copper mugs, just as you would for any other Moscow Mule. This is a key part of the recipe and the drinking experience! The copper conducts temperature extremely well, so every sip you take hits the tongue with an icy chill.