Fun New Cocktails With Ginger Beer

Last week I went through the ins and outs of making a fresh batch of ginger beer that can be used in all kinds of cocktails, but didn’t give you any direct examples other than a Moscow Mule and a Dark & Stormy. My bad. We’re friends now and it’s just rude of me to leave you to fend for yourself like that. What if you find some random recipe that makes poor use of this delicious stuff and you end up hating ginger for the rest of your life? I can’t have that. Not on my watch! So here are a few of my favorites that I’ve curated from here and there — which are quite different from one another, all sharing ginger beer as a common link.

Dead Man’s Mule

If you’ve ever had a Moscow Mule (vodka, lime, ginger) but thought to yourself:
Hmmm, this is great but how can I make this weirder with a completely different
taste?! Well friend, the answer is absinthe & allspice dram.

  • 1 ounce absinth
  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • 1 ounce orgeat
  • 1/2 ounce allspice dram (also known as pimento dram, this is a liqueur you can find at specialty retailers)

Take all the above and pour it in your shaker with some ice and give it a good shake. Once chilled, strain it over the crushed ice in your mug and top up with ginger beer.

El Diablo

If you’re a fan of tequila (which pairs perfectly with ginger) then this is your cocktail here, with a bit of sweetness from the cassis and the spice from the beer.

  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • 1 ounces lime juice
  • 1/2 ounces creme de cassis

Add above ingredients into a shaker with ice and give it a hard shake. Once chilled, strain into a collins glass with some ice and top up with the ginger beer.

Stay Sober

The last of these comes in the form of a non-alcoholic drink. What?! I can already hear the pitchforks and torches but let’s be honest, there will come a time in which drinking is not an option. But just because you can’t (or won’t) partake doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of this tasty stuff. This drink can actually be made into a boozy one quite easily, but I will leave that to your creative self.

  • 1 1/2 ounces fresh apple juice
  • 1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
  • Ginger beer to top

Take a rocks glass, fill it with ice and pour the apple juice and cranberry juice in it, topping off with the ginger beer before giving it a quick stir.

Photo credit: Raul Zelaya