Gin and Ginger Cocktail

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!

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.

More Ginger Drink Recipes

• Sparkling Ginger Citrusade (non-alcoholic)
• Apple Ginger Punch (bourbon based)
• Ginger Peach Limeade (non-alcoholic)