In our Drink of the Week segment, we’ll showcase one unique type of beer, wine, cocktail — you name it — to try at one of the countless breweries, bars and restaurants from around the basin.

Apparently the Mule is the Elizabeth Taylor of cocktails. All you have to do is change out the alcohol and you have yourself another marriage made in cocktail Heaven. Whether it’s a Kentucky Mule, a Southern Mule, or a London Mule, the rest of the family stays about the same. The Sage Leaf uses the more traditional liquor in vodka, but amps up the players around it.

Using local Tahoe Blue vodka as the base, it dances in the shaker with some lime juice, raspberry shrub, and the same blueberry compote they use for their French toast. I won’t spoil what’s in the compote here, but if you follow along weekly, you’ll get the skinny in a few weeks. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious.

Strained over ice and mixed with ginger beer and a fresh lime garnish, this cocktail radiates like the Jazzberry Jam color in the Crayola crayon box. If you have kids, you’re picking up what I’m putting down.

You definitely get hit with the berry and citrus at first whiff. Diving in for a sip, it’s really everything you know and love about a Moscow Mule. But, the kicker here is that berry compote that ratchets it up a notch. We’re not talking a small notch; we’re talking “Jumanji” next level.

The fizziness from the ginger beer makes all the ingredients come alive in your mouth. And for you rookies out there, ginger beer isn’t actual beer. Think root beer, but substitute the root with ginger. Well, I guess that makes no sense because ginger is a root, so don’t think about it too hard — just go with it.

The berry-ness (making up my own word) really comes through on the back end, knocking back any hard alcohol taste to give it a very pleasant finish.

Given that Sage Leaf is a brunch restaurant, getting your day drink on is a must. If you’re not going to work, might as well start with a mule.

Sage Leaf is located at 893 Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 600 in Incline Village and is open daily from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily. For menus and more information, hit them up on the web at sageleaftahoe.com or by calling them at 775-413-5005.