Refreshing: A Guide to the Best Gins for Mix with Ginger Ale
Ginger Ale is a popular drink that’s used in many different gin drinks. However, there are some gins that go better with ginger ale than others.
But what are the best gins to mix with ginger ale?
What Types Of Gin Mix Well With Ginger Ale
Ginger ale is, to say the least, a drink for the acquired taste. Nowadays, there are many sorts of ginger ale on the market. Some are sweeter and more sugary, while others will be crisp and sharp.
Then, there’s also the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer. The difference is actually quite simple. Ginger beer is way sharper, whereas ginger ale is a little smoother and sweeter. Ginger ale is more approachable, whereas ginger beer is a purer, denser version of it.
In either case, ginger ale will always be dominant in a drink, simply because of the sharpness that the ginger gives it. This is also the reason why I initially called it a drink for the acquired taste.
This sharpness, however, is also what makes ginger ale such a fantastic drink. With its sharp, fresh, and sweet taste, ginger ale makes for a fantastic drink, either on its own or as a mixer.
Ginger ale is quite a strong drink, so not every type of gin will be as great with it. With that being said, what types of gin actually mix well with ginger ale?
Ginger ale can be quite strong and sharp, so if you want to mix it with gin, make sure you use a gin that also has a sharp taste. The gin needs to be able to hold its own against the ginger ale, otherwise, you would not be able to taste it.
Some examples of gins that go well with ginger ale are gins focused on spices. Gin is a simple grain spirit that gets its flavor from being infused with botanicals. Some of the botanicals are spices such as cinnamon, coriander, or even pepper.
These spices will be on the sharper side once infused into the gin, making for a crisper, more dominant taste. This more dominant taste will also be able to hold its own against the dominant taste of ginger ale. In fact, they contrast quite nicely, making for a lovely combination.
Another type of gin that goes well with ginger ale would of course be a ginger-infused gin. The ginger-infused gin will perfectly complement the taste of the ginger ale, making for a great combination.
In short, you either want a gin that complements the ginger ale, such as a ginger-based gin, or a gin that has a taste that contrasts with the ginger ale, such as a spice-based gin.
In this article, we’ll go over 8 different gins that go perfectly with the beautiful drink of ginger ale! These gins are in no particular order!
1. Tanqueray London Dry Gin
Tanqueray is a gin distillery that dates all the way back to 1830. During this time, Charles Tanqueray was not afraid to be bold and unique. With his bold and unique attitude, he developed a wonderful gin that’s still loved to this day.
Nowadays, Tanqueray London Dry Gin is one of the awarded gins in the world. It is also known for being a fantastic premium gin. This should speak enough of its quality, but I’ll elaborate further.
Tanqueray London Dry Gin is not only praised for its fantastic taste and timeless quality but it’s also just a perfect all-rounder. Perhaps that’s why it’s praised as much as it is.
This gin will be perfect in pretty much any drink, as well as on its own. This, of course, includes drinking it with ginger ale. The well-rounded taste of gin goes great with a high-quality ginger ale.
Even though Tanqueray London Dry Gin doesn’t have any quirks or special qualities such as others on this list, it may very well be your safest choice. In all honesty, this is probably a bottle of gin that everyone should have in their arsenal.
2. Jawbox Small Batch Classic Dry Gin
Jawbox is an Irish distillery that combines 11 different botanicals to create a truly amazing gin. This gin is definitely on the herbal side, but there’s also a strong influence of citruses and juniper.
Jawbox Small Batch Classic Dry Gin uses these 11 botanicals: Juniper Berries, Black Mountain Heather, Coriander Seed, Cassia Quills, Angelica Root, Orris Root, Cubebs, Lemon Peel, Cardamom, Liquorice Root, and Grains Of Paradise.
All the botanicals come together to create a gin with a bold, crisp, and piney nose. Added to this is a clean scent of citrus and coriander, perfectly introducing you to the crisp taste.
As for taste, this gin has a classic base of bold juniper berries but also has a citrusy flavor in the opening. This then develops into a peppery and green aftertaste.
The peppery and green aftertaste is what make this gin work so well with ginger ale. The pepper, as well as the bold and green taste perfectly contrasts with the sweet and spicy taste of ginger ale.
3. Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin
Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin is a gin inspired by the ancient Spice Routes. This gin is infused with carefully selected spices from exotic places. These spices are then distilled using the same method the Opihr distillery used all the way back in 1761.
Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin is made with many different spices, many of which are not only tasty but fragrant as well. Hints of cardamom, pepper, cumin, and many citruses give the fragrance a warm and robust scent.
This scent is also found back in the taste. You’ll get a wonderfully warm flavor full of spices and citruses.
The botanicals used in Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin are as follows: Indian Black Pepper, Italian Juniper Berries, Malaysian Cubeb Berries, Moroccan Coriander, Spanish Orange Peel, Indian Ginger, Indian Cardamom, German Angelica Root, Turkish Grapefruit Peel, and Turkish Cumin.
Due to all the different spices used in this gin, you’ll get quite a complex taste. This complexity goes very well with the warm and sweet taste of ginger ale. Ginger ale in and of itself is also on the more complex side.
Added to that is once again that beautiful contrast between the fresh and spicy taste of ginger ale and the crisp and spicy taste of the gin.
4. Didsbury Blood Orange & Ginger Gin
Didsbury Blood Orange & Ginger Gin is a gin in the arsenal of Mark and Liam, the founders of Didsbury Gin. These two friends shared a passion for gin and ultimately started to distill their own.
With Didsbury Blood Orange & Ginger, you get a gin that’s both fresh and warm. When you open your bottle, though, you’re greeted by a strong scent of orange. This orangy scent is then supported by a woody backbone.
As for the taste, though, it’s a little different. This gin is infused with 11 different botanicals, of which the blood orange is most notable. Paired with the fresh blood orange are more citruses, ensuring a fresh and crisp taste.
In the back, the ginger is present. The ginger gives this gin a warm backbone and makes it a little more powerful.
Due to the sharp and zesty taste of citruses and the warmer backbone of ginger, you can perfectly mix this gin with ginger ale. The contrast of the sweet and zesty citruses paired with the warm, spicy, and sweet ginger ale makes for an incredible taste experience.
5. Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin
Whitley Neill is a British distillery that has been passed down for 8 generations. Ever since 1762, the Neill family has been distilling gin, and one of their creations is the Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Gin.
Rhubarb & Ginger is a wonderfully flavored gin with a fruity taste and scent. At first, you’ll enjoy the amazing aroma of fruits, but there will also be an herbal background scent present.
This scent perfectly translates into the taste as well. There’s a wonderful taste of fruity rhubarb present, and it’s supported by a few spicy, peppery hints. Lastly, there is also a somewhat strong taste of juniper berries, giving the fragrance a crisp and almost earthy undertone.
Besides the rhubarb and ginger, there are a few more botanicals used to create this gin. Here is a short list of those botanicals: Juniper, Coriander Seed, Cassia Bark, Orris Root, Angelica Root, Liquorice, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Rhubarb, and Ginger.
A sweet and peppery taste such as this will work great with ginger ale. The contrast between the sweet and spicy ginger ale and the peppery, fruity gin will make for an amazing combination.
This gin is on the sweeter side, though, so make sure you do enjoy a sweet gin. Otherwise, you might want to go with a different gin on this list.
6. Siderit Gingerlime London Dry Gin
Siderit Gingerlime London Dry Gin is a Spanish Gin from the distillery Siderit. The Siderit distillery was founded to create high-quality, handcrafted distillates (Siderit distills both gin and vodka).
Siderit Gingerlime London Dry Gin utilizes 13 different botanicals to create its wonderful taste. These are Juniper Berries, Coriander, Cardamom, Rock Tea, Angelica Root, Cinnamon, Orange Peel, Hibiscus, Pink Pepper, Almond, Orris Root, Lime, and Ginger.
With a selection of these fresh types of botanicals, you can expect a rather fresh taste and scent as well. The philosophy behind this gin is the difference and contrast between the fresh lime and warm ginger, creating a Yin and Yang philosophy.
This is definitely noticeable in the taste, as lime and ginger are definitely the predominant flavors. However, you can also taste hints of spices and juniper berries.
Siderit themself recommends you drink this gin with a citrusy tonic to maximize the citrusy taste of the gin. However, this citrusy taste of lime and ginger will also work amazingly with ginger ale.
The fresh citruses and the warm ginger will perfectly harmonize with the warm and spicy taste of ginger ale. Of course, you can also drink it neat but mixing it with something that complements the natural freshness of this gin will make it that much better.
7. Whitley Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin
Whitley Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin is another incredible flavored gin from the Whitley Neill distillery. This time, it utilizes the beauty of ginger and lemongrass. Both ginger and lemongrass are fresh and crisp, making them pair together perfectly.
Lemongrass & Ginger Gin was created by Frederick Neill who was inspired by a trip through Asia, where he discovered fresh and fragrant lemongrass.
There are a few more botanicals used to create this wonderful gin, though. Here is a short list of the botanicals used in Whitely Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin: Juniper, Coriander Seed, Cassia Bark, Orris Root, Angelica Root, Liquorice, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Ginger, and Lemongrass Extract.
As you can imagine, Whitley Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin has a fresh and zesty taste of citruses. This is paired with a warming touch of ginger, making for a rich taste.
You might notice that this gin does not have a fruity taste, making it a great option for people who are looking for a gin that isn’t too sweet.
Whitley Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin can be perfectly drunk on its own, but it will also work lovely with ginger ale. The freshness of the lemongrass, paired with the ginger will work perfectly with a drink that’s also ginger-focused.
8. Fox’s Kiln Distillery Rhubarb & Ginger Gin
Fox’s Kiln Distillery is a rather young gin distillery, founded by Jared Brown in 2011. It wasn’t until 2019 that he started to distill gin. Jared Brown loves to experiment with natural, local ingredients.
Currently, Fox’s Kiln Distillery offers a few different flavored gins. Besides his Rhubarb & Ginger variant, he also has a Blood Orange variant which is one of the best blood orange-based gins.
Fox’s Kiln Distilerry Rhubarb & Ginger Gin is a fruity, tart gin. The sweet taste of rhubarb is a dominant flavor and scent and will be detectable all the time. However, this sweetness is balanced out by a zingy, warm taste of ginger, making for a complex and contrasting taste within the gin itself.
Not only does this gin taste complex, but also full-bodied, making for a rich and delicious gin to use in many types of drinks.
Besides drinking this gin neat, the distillery itself suggests serving this with ginger ale. The ginger ale will perfectly complement the complex, full-bodied taste of Fox’s Kiln Distillery Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, leaving a long-lasting impression.
Gin Cocktails With Ginger Ale
Drinking gin with ginger ale can of course be done just like that. Mixing gin with ginger ale. Just pour the gin and desired amount of ginger ale over fresh ice and garnish to your liking. It’s as simple as that, however, some may want to spruce things up a little.
Luckily, there are quite a few cocktail variants that use both gin and ginger ale. We’ll go over a few popular ones below!
First off, there’s The Gin Buck. This is a simple cocktail that actually only uses gin and ginger ale. This drink is loved for its simplicity, as it’s basically 2 ounces of gin mixed with 4 ounces of ginger ale.
Secondly, there’s The Ginger Rogers. This drink combines gin with ginger ale, ginger syrup, mint leaves, and fresh lemon juice. This makes for a refreshing cocktail full of flavors.
Lastly, we’ll cover a special recipe by Fox’s Kiln Distillery themselves, the Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Cocktail. This cocktail includes 50ml of Rhubarb & Ginger Gin from Fox’s Kiln Distillery, as well as 50ml cloudy apple juice, 10ml fresh lemon juice, 10 ml cinnamon syrup, and, of course, 50ml ginger ale.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, any gin can be mixed with ginger ale. However, certain gins use certain botanicals that will make the flavors pop a little more, making for a more enjoyable taste experience.
Usually, gins that either contrast the taste of ginger ale or complement the taste of ginger ale will be the best. Something spicy, citrusy, or a little fruity will work nicely with ginger ale.
These gins can either be drunk just with ginger ale or in a ginger ale and gin-based cocktail. Enjoy them how you like them best!
