Ginger ale, and its spicier, fermented cousin ginger beer, are ideal cocktail mixers. The effervescence lightens up a summery highball, while the ginger’s bite tames spirits. We’ve rounded up our favorite ginger ale and ginger beer cocktail recipes.
Ginger ale and ginger beer can both be purchased, but it’s fun and easy to make them on your own. For ginger ale, simply make a syrup out of water, ginger, sugar, and a dash of black peppercorns, then mix it with soda water. To make ginger beer, brew up a similar ginger mixture and add in spices and champagne yeast. Strain the mixture, bottle it, and after a day of fermentation you have your very own ginger beer!
Whether you make or buy, you’ve got delicious recipes to try. The Moscow Mule is a classic mix of ginger beer and vodka. If you steep the vodka with lemongrass and grapefruit to make aquavit then you have a variation called a Swedish Mule, while swapping the vodka out for gin and adding a little mint makes a Gin-Gin Mule.
The Dark ‘N Stormy is another classic ginger beer cocktail, with black rum and ginger beer swirling together like storm clouds. The Black and Stormy is a variation that kicks up the spice with ginger liqueur.
For a summertime drink for your next cookout, mix together a pitcher of our Strawberry Pimm’s Cup with ginger ale and kaffir lime leaves.
Check out all of our favorite ginger ale and ginger beer cocktail recipes, plus recipes for homemade ginger beer and ginger syrup!
Not quite up to brewing your own ginger beer? An easier option is to make your own ginger ale by cooking up a batch of this ginger syrup and mixing it with soda water.
Inspired by our list of Friday cocktails, bartender Michael Neff noticed that bitter flavors were prominent, as were fizzy drinks made with fresh fruit and herbs. To that end, he created a modified Pimm’s Cup, using Cynar to add a bit more bitter tang and ginger beer for spice. Fresh fruit and herbs round out the (almost) traditional summer refresher. Get the recipe for Pimm’s Cup #21 »
By trademark, this Bermudan combination of rum and ginger beer requires Gosling’s Black Seal Rum; similar drinks with names like dark ‘n foggy or light ‘n stormy use other rums. Get the recipe for Dark ‘N Stormy »
A refreshing marriage between a Tom Collins and a Dark n’ Stormy, this lime and ginger beer-spiked gin cocktail has an intriguing herbal undertone thanks to Amaro Abano, a zesty Italian digestif with notes of bitter orange, cardamom, and white pepper. Get the recipe for Cool Confusion »
Vodka, ginger beer, and muddled pear make for a tart and refreshing cocktail perfect for sipping on a cool fall evening. Get the recipe for Pear Haymaker
A twist on the British classic, this summer cooler takes on spicy, herbal notes from Kaffir lime leaves, while strawberries lend sweet balance to the pleasingly bitter liqueur. Get the recipe for Strawberry Pimm’s Cup »
This twist on a mojito combines pineapple- and coconut-infused rum with fresh pineapple and mint for a fruity, vacation-inspired drink. Get the recipe for Pineapple Mojito »
“Bucks” are a family of drinks that consist of ginger beer plus a spirit and citrus—a category that includes this fruity refresher as well as the classic Moscow Mule. Get the recipe for Kentucky Buck »
