If you've made a few of your own Moscow Mule cocktails, complete with the unique copper drinking vessel, and everything went well, you might want to start being a bit more adventurous and adding a twist to the original recipe. That's part of the fun of making your own cocktails; you can try anything out without worrying about the end result too much. Although if you're lucky, you might just stumble on a drink that you fall in love with. For those of you that still aren't familiar with the Moscow Mule, it contains vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and ice, which combine to give the vodka a kind of spicy/tangy kick. During this article we are going to mention some of our favorite variations of the traditional recipe, informing you of the ingredients that are used to make these "concoctions." Hopefully this will give you a few ideas that you can try out when you next have some time off work.

Moscow Mule Variations that Your Taste Buds Will Fall in Love With

When the original is so good it's hardly surprising that people all over the world have been coming up with numerous variations of the traditional recipe that was created by J G. Martin in 1941. Spin-off aren't always a success though; if you every watched "Joey" you'll know that that's true. However, sometimes, although difficult in this case, a spin-off or variation can actually be better than the original. Below you'll find a few of our favorite variations when it comes to the Moscow Mule.

The Strawberry Mule

The Moscow Mule is traditionally a drink that is best enjoyed when served on a hot summer's day and so adding strawberries to the mix is something that kind of makes sense. This variation retains all of the original ingredients; you just add strawberry juice to finish it off. We would recommend you use fresh strawberries to make this juice, rather than buy it ready made from your local store - fresh always seems to taste better! To do this, all you need is a cup full of strawberries and a fine mesh sieve. Place the strawberries in the sieve and then mash them with the reverse side of a spoon.

The Muddled Cucumber Mule

Another variation that transports you back to the summer time with just a couple of sips, which can really lift your spirits in the midst of the dark and gloomy winter period. The cucumber is amazingly light and airy -- both things we associate with summer -- and the ginger beer (we highly recommend the Rocky Mountain Soda Co.'s ginger beer by the way) by contrast reminds us of the fall period. Again, all of the standard ingredients are used; you just need to muddle a cucumber and add it.

The Cider Mule

Are you a big fan of cider? Why not try adding some to the traditional Moscow Mule formula. Cider is another drink that is absolutely amazing in the middle of summer and can make the original drink even more crisp and refreshing than it already is. While you should play around with this mixture to find the right balance for your taste buds, we recommend you start with 3 parts cider: 2 parts ginger beer: 1 part vodka.

The Citrus Style Mule

If you want to liven things up, a citrus infusion will certainly help you do that. Some people find that the spicy nature of the traditional Moscow Mule can be a bit overpowering and adding a citrus infused syrup to the mix is a great way to dull down the spiciness of the ginger beer a little, while at the same time making the drink even more refreshing. You still use vodka, fresh lime juice and ginger beer in this cocktail, but you also need to add the syrup we just mentioned and some mint leaves. The syrup is very easy to make; you simply place orange peel in some water and then add sugar (1 part sugar, 1 part water) and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved.

The Blueberry Mule

Yet another berry-style Moscow Mule cocktail. Aside from being incredibly refreshing, blueberries also offer an impressive range of health benefits (although maybe not when combined with some premium quality vodka!). They also make the drink much more colorful and bring a fantastic refreshing flavor. This is very easy to prepare; you simply need 3 ounces of small blueberries, which you muddle along with a couple of mint leaves in a shaker, before adding to the other ingredients.

Those are five of our favorites, but the possibilities are virtually limitless. Experimenting with different ingredients can actually be quite fun and you never know, you might discover a recipe that's talked about for generations to come. Share your recipes with us!

Want to really put a twist on your mule? Put it in one of our classic engraved mugs.