Spice up the classic gin and tonic with ginger beer! This gin and ginger cocktail is fresh, bright, and refreshing.
When you love the clear flavors of gin and tonic but love spicy ginger, you make this ginger gin cocktail!
The ginger flavor comes from a mixture of ginger beer and homemade ginger simple syrup.
Ginger beer tastes great with vodka (Moscow Mule), perfect with rum (Dark and Stormy), and fantastic with bourbon (Kentucky Mule). Now, it’s time to try ginger beer with gin!
Table of Contents
Ginger Gin Cocktail
Gin and ginger make such a great pairing. This ginger gin cocktail is fresh, bright, and revitalizing. It’s like a gin and tonic but sweeter with an unexpected little spicy kick.
Updated: I have since learned about the Gin Mule or Foghorn cocktail. This cocktail combines London dry gin with lime juice, and ginger beer.
This gin and ginger cocktail amps up the flavors with fresh mint and ginger syrup. It’s a little sweeter than the Foghorn.
Ingredients
- Fresh mint leaves: There are over 500 varieties of mint! Use whatever fresh mint you can find. The most commonly available varieties in the United States are spearmint and peppermint.
- Homemade ginger simple syrup: A simple mixture of water, granulated sugar, and fresh ginger root. Fresh ginger has a sweet, spicy kick. Do not used ground ginger or ginger powder.
- Gin: A distilled liquor predominately flavored by juniper berries. Different brands may highlight other ingredients they infuse with this spirits. Recommended gin brands: Hendrick’s, Bombay Sapphire, The Botanist.
- Lime juice: Use fresh squeezed lime juice. Stay away from bottled lime juice or lime juice concentrate. Fresh squeeze juice will give you the most fresh, bright flavor.
- Ginger beer: This is much stronger, more flavor potent relative of ginger ale. A non-alcoholic soda made from fermented ginger root. Recommended ginger beer brands: Bundaberg, Fever Tree, Rachel’s Ginger Beer.
- Optional Bitters: Bitter flavored liquid made with spices, herbs, roots, and other aromatics. Commonly added to cocktails and drinks for extra dimension of flavor. Bitters are available in a variety of flavors. Recommend lime bitters or angostura bitters.
Homemade Ginger Syrup
Simple syrup, also known as pastry syrup, is made with equal parts water and sugar. The mixture is quickly boiled and then cooled. It can be flavored with spices, herbs, extracts, or liqueurs.
This homemade ginger syrup steeps fresh ginger root in simple syrup. Peel the skin of the ginger. Slice into disks and place in a small sauce pot with water and granulated sugar. Bring mixture to boil. Cover with a lid and allow ginger to steep for about 20 minutes. Strain out ginger and cool.
Store ginger syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Homemade ginger syrup may be used to sweeten and flavor cocktails, teas, lemonades, or lattes.
Large Batch Punch Cocktail Version
To make 12 servings large batch punch version (total 60 oz liquid) combine:
- Roughly 50 fresh mint leaves (about one mint bunch)
- 6 oz Ginger syrup
- 24 oz Gin
- 6 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 24 oz Ginger beer, chilled
- 4 1/2 teaspoon bitters, optional
Muddle mint leaves with ginger syrup. Add gin, lime juice, ginger beer, and bitters. Place in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Pour 5 oz servings and top with ice.
Gin and Ginger Cocktail
Ingredients
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- ½ oz ginger syrup, , (recipe follows)
- 2 oz gin of choice
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 2 oz ginger beer, chilled
- 3 dashes bitters, optional
Ginger Syrup:
- 1 cup water, (227 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200 g)
- 2 inch fresh ginger root, , peeled and sliced
Instructions
- In a tall glass, muddle mint leaves with ginger syrup. Add gin, lime juice, ginger beer, and dashes of bitters. Stir together. Add ice. Garnish with lime wedges and additional mint leaves.
Ginger Syrup:
- In a small sauce pot, combine water, sugar, and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cover with lid and let ginger steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and discard ginger. Store syrup in fridge until ready to use. Keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks.All images and text ©The Little Epicurean
Notes
- Recommended gin brands: Hendrick’s, Bombay Sapphire, The Botanist
- Stay away from bottled lime juice or lime juice concentrate. Fresh squeeze juice will give you the most fresh, bright flavor.
- Optional Bitters: Bitter flavored liquid made with spices, herbs, roots, and other aromatics. Commonly added to cocktails and drinks for extra dimension of flavor. Bitters are available in a variety of flavors. Recommend lime bitters or angostura bitters.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!More Ginger Drink Recipes
- Sparkling Ginger Citrusade (non-alcoholic)
- Apple Ginger Punch (bourbon based)
- Ginger Peach Limeade (non-alcoholic)
I think Gin and Ginger Beer with mint is called a ‘Foghorn’.
Thanks for sharing! I didn’t know that.
Hello
Recently stumbled upon your page after looking for Gin and Ginger Beer recipes, though am allergic to both Citrus (mainly Lemon/Lime) as well as Mint and Peppercorns.
That is why have currently got myself some Boodles Gin and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, neither of which have the triggering ingredients. However what Garnish ideas would be suitable beyond Cucumber and Star Anise.
My father always made gin and ginger ale cocktails when my grandmothers visited. He called them highballs and included a maraschino cherry.
What a great cocktail. My husband love ginger and this cocktail looks soo good. I really love the idea of gin with ginger.
Looks delicious and fresh! Love the styling to Maryanne!
Thanks Millie! :)
Such a lovely drink!
Thanks Jocelyn! :)
This looks so delicious!! I’m with you on the game heartbreak. It still hurts today. If only that triple could have been one more base. The stuff of legends! My Cardinal loving husband says the pain gets better. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 29 years :)
Side note: Apparently the Giants win the WS every year T Swift comes out with a new album. So I guess “Shaking it Off” is the only thing we can do :)
Next year…there’s always next year :)
WHAT?! I didn’t notice the correlation! I’m totally fine just “shaking it off” ;)
I’ve never had ginger beer. Is that crazy? It sound delicious so I’m sure I’m missing out on a good thing here. This cocktail looks so refreshing!
Ginger beer is a more potent version of ginger ale. I love it! Thanks! :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE Ginger beer in a gin and ginger!
As always, you killed it with the photography :)
Thank you!! :)