Cranberry Ginger Mocktail

A low FODMAP virgin Moscow mule of unsweetened cranberry juice, fresh ginger, lime, maple syrup, and cane-sugar ginger beer.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1 ounce (30 ml) unsweetened cranberry juice (100 percent juice, no apple or pear blends)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, or 1 tablespoon ginger simple syrup (see Tips)
• 1/2 lime, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, to taste
• Ice cubes
• 6 ounces (180 ml) cane-sugar ginger beer, chilled (Bundaberg or similar)
• Fresh mint sprig, for garnish (optional)
• Lime wheel, for garnish

Instructions

Build

1. Grate the fresh ginger directly into a tall glass or a lined (stainless-interior) copper mug. Acidic juice should not sit in unlined copper. Add the cranberry juice, lime juice, and maple syrup.
2. Stir for 10 seconds to dissolve the maple syrup and steep the ginger in the juice.

Chill

1. Fill the mug to the top with ice. Stir once more to bring the temperature down.

Top

1. Pour the chilled ginger beer slowly down the side of the mug so it doesn't foam over. Stir once, gently, from the bottom to lift the ginger.

Garnish

1. Tuck a lime wheel and a mint sprig into the ice. Serve with a straw and a cocktail spoon so the grated ginger stays suspended.

Tips & Substitutions

• Batch for a party. Multiply the cranberry juice, lime, ginger, and maple syrup by the number of guests and stir together in a pitcher. Hold off on the ginger beer until serving so the drinks stay fizzy; top each mug individually over fresh ice.
• Make a ginger simple syrup. Simmer 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup cane sugar, and 1/4 cup sliced fresh ginger for 10 minutes, then strain. It keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks and skips the grated-ginger texture if you prefer a smoother sip. Use 1 tablespoon per drink in place of the grated ginger and maple syrup.
• Frozen variation. Blend 1 ounce cranberry juice, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, the lime juice, maple syrup, and 1 cup of ice until slushy. Pour into the mug and top with 2 ounces of ginger beer for a frozen virgin mule.
• Pick the ginger beer by its label. Choose one sweetened with cane sugar and without apple or pear juice, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave, inulin, chicory root fiber, or polyol sweeteners. Bundaberg's US ginger beer lists cane sugar, but formulations change, so check each bottle.
• Cranberry juice has to be unsweetened. 100 percent cranberry juice is low-FODMAP at a 1-ounce (30 ml) pour. Cranberry cocktail and many bottled cranberry drinks add high-fructose corn syrup or apple juice, so check the label.
• If some people want vodka. The base is a classic Moscow Mule build. Add 1.5 ounces of vodka to the mug before the ice and you have the full cocktail, so one recipe covers the whole table.

Why This Works

Unsweetened cranberry juice is the key ingredient. 100 percent cranberry juice is low FODMAP at 1 ounce (30 ml) and moderate by about 4 1/2 ounces, so this recipe uses a 1-ounce pour and lets the ginger beer carry the volume. Read the label and look for a single ingredient: cranberries.

Fresh ginger is low-FODMAP at this amount. A teaspoon of grated ginger is a low-FODMAP portion, and it sharpens the ginger bite the ginger beer starts.

Ginger beer needs a label check. Ginger beer isn't high-FODMAP by default; the sweetener decides it. High-fructose corn syrup, apple juice, agave, honey, inulin, and chicory root fiber are the red flags.

Lime and maple syrup fill in cleanly. Fresh lime juice is low-FODMAP at drink serves, and pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 1 tablespoon, so a teaspoon to round out the sweetness is well within range. No honey, no agave, no high-fructose corn syrup anywhere in the build.

Storage

Best made to order. The cranberry, ginger, lime, and maple base can hold in a pitcher in the fridge for up to 24 hours; give it a stir before pouring since the grated ginger settles. Add the ginger beer and ice at serve time so the drink stays cold and carbonated. Ginger simple syrup keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks at 40°F (4°C) or below.