With spring right around the corner, it’s hard not to want something a little refreshing. OK, fine, I’ll admit it, we live in California about 10 minutes from the beach so it’s always 70° and sunny, but it’s still fun when the flowers are blooming. So Alice and I got to thinking, “Alright, refreshing? But maybe some fresh fruit? It is spring.” That’s what we did. Enter the Grilled Pineapple Moscow Mule.

Boom! That’s how we do. Grilled pineapple (let’s not get too pedantic here, you could roast it too, or pan fry it — whatever you want to bring out a little extra sweetness and texture) plus a Moscow Mule makes for a great, refreshing and slightly fruity drink.

To begin at the beginning, once you have your grill going (I prefer lump hardwood charcoal, but whatever you use to get out of the house is ideal by me), grill your pineapple until it’s ready.

Let’s rewind for a second. When I was a kid, my mother would always tell me to cook stuff “Until it’s ready,” which annoyed me to no end. How was I supposed to know when it was ready? It’s not like the food was talking to me or anything. Fast forward a few years to now, once you’ve cooked long enough, you know when it’s ready. So yeah, grill until ready (looking for a little bit of char on the outside).

Once that’s done, you slice it into pieces, eat a few for quality control, then it’s pretty much a Moscow Mule as normal (lime, vodka, ginger beer). Not feeling ginger, but still want refreshing? Okie dokie, try a Paloma. That, however, is another post.

Oh yes. Two important fun facts about the Moscow Mule.

Point the first: the glass, or in this case, the copper mug. Is it a requirement? Not necessarily, a martini not in a martini glass is still a martini. (That’s a lot of martini.) However, when you have an awesome copper mug, it’s kicking your drink up to that next special level. Honestly, they’re not too pricey and if you plan on enjoying a Moscow Mule 100% worth investing in getting your own. Some ones we enjoy? These awesome ones by Buxxu. Copper, resist tarnishing and are sexy. Can’t as for much more.

Point the second: when Alice was living in Japan, the Moscow Mule was her drink of choice. Sadly, not the Grilled Pineapple Moscow Mule, but still. There’s your trivia for the day.

Now, let’s get to some Grilled Pineapple Moscow Mule action!