Sweet white wine transforms the classic Moscow Mule

Summer cocktail recipes matter most when the season is waning and you're doing everything you can to make those warm, sunny days last forever. That's when you need an icy drink that's easy to make, like the Moscow Mule.

Simplicity is the great thing about the Moscow Mule cocktail recipe -- just three ingredients: lime juice, vodka and ginger beer. The spicy drink with a hint of tang over lots of crushed ice is easy to make and open to all sorts of variations like adding refreshing white wine.

Because the classic mule includes lime juice, we love the clean sweetness of Cotton Candy Lime in this drink. Refreshing whites like Sweet, Brice's Creek or Beaufort Bay also work great. The wine adds a unique sweetness to the drink and a little extra kick, but if you use wine, you could nix the vodka for a lower-alcohol cocktail.

No matter how you make a mule, use plenty of crushed ice. The drink is traditionally served in a copper mug that keeps the cocktail frosty, but you could also use a rocks glass chilled in the freezer.