Summer is almost over. I’m always a little sad at the end of the summer…feel like I wasn’t outside enough, didn’t go camping enough, missed out on so many barbecue opportunities. The weather has already shifted here in Idaho, mornings are dark, the nights are cooler. The garden is peaking and the end is in sight of all my beautiful tomatoes. I don’t like it! So here’s to the last few weeks of summer and my favorite summer drink – Kombulle!
Now you might be wondering “what the hell is a kombulle!” And I don’t blame you…a kombulle is cousin to a Moscow Mule. A traditional Moscow Mule is ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, maybe some mint. But you see, I don’t like vodka, but I love ginger beer. So a Moscow Mule made with rye whiskey or bourbon is a Kentucky Mule. And Kentucky Mules I like a lot! But then we started making them with kombucha and it was magic.
Ginger kombucha with whiskey, lemon, and mint = end of summer drink. And this is an end of summer drink which I think will survive through the first part of fall… at least in my house. If anything, I love drinking these because of the copper mugs. How amazing are copper mugs! We got these from Butte Copper Company. Kris went to college in Butte, Montana so they hold a special place in his heart. This isn’t a sponsored post, we just think these are the best copper mugs ever.
For the kombulle, we made our own ginger flavored kombucha using a homemade ginger syrup. But you could use store-bought ginger-flavored kombucha or even original flavored kombucha would work. We prefer lemon with the kombucha but you could use lime, or even orange. The nice thing about using kombucha in a mixed drink is that you can justify that the kombucha makes it healthy and that it’s okay to enjoy yourself. (Not endorsing drinking, excessive drinking that it…). But you’ve got to try making a Kentucky Mule with kombucha and decide for yourself.
If you are planning on making your own ginger kombucha, I would recommend using these Grolsch Bottles. First put 4-6 tablespoons of homemade ginger syrup in the bottle, then top off with kombucha leaving about an inch of air gap at the top. Let the home brew sit for 5-7 days before using. If you want to learn more about making homemade komucha check out my other post “Homemade Kombucha“.
(** Full disclosure, the grolsch bottle link on this page is an amazon affiliate link, where we receive a small kick back if you purchase them. We only ever link to products that we use and know are legitimate products. **)
- 4-4.5 ounces Ginger Kombucha For homemade ginger kombucha, use this Ginger Syrup: 1/2 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 6 tbsp ground fresh ginger root all boiled and simmered for 15-20 min, strained after syrup is cooled down
- ice
- 1 oz lemon juice juice of one lemon
- 2.5 ounces Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
- Sparkling water to taste
- Lemon slices and mint to garnish
- Copper mugs
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Fill copper mug 3/4 full of ice
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Mix all other ingredients in drink shaker and stir
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Pour mixture in copper mug
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Top with sparkling water, if you desire a milder flavor.
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Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves.
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