A good bar is only as good as its mixers. Whether you are staring down a bottle of rum or a splash of vodka, ginger beer is key to adding some zest to any drink. This bubbly beverage particularly comes in handy when you’re laying off the booze but still want that co*cktail-drinking experience.
Ginger beers also run the gamut from sugar-filled to the oh-so-spicy. When choosing the right one for the job, Paul McGee, a partner of Lost Lake in Chicago and the beverage director of Land and Sea Dept., says, “I always look for a balanced ginger beer that has less sugar, moderate spice and bright effervescence. There is nothing worse than a semi-flat highball.”
Know this: not all ginger beers are alike. While they're often treated as an afterthought, the world of ginger beers is more complex than you might think; there are companies that have specialized in the spicy brew for centuries, as well as small-batch newcomers putting their own twists to the beverage. Handcrafted with organic sugar cane, Maine Root’s Ginger Brew is our top choice.
Here are the best ginger beers to use as mixers or for drinking on their own.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Best Craft:
Best co*cktail Mixer:
Best for Moscow Mules:
Best for Dark 'n Stormy:
Best for Drinking Straight:
Best Value:
Best Sugar-Free:
Best Spicy:
Best Newcomer:
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Region: Maine | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, sweet
It’s easy to love Maine Root. With its commitment to using Fair Trade Certified organic sugar cane and loads of ginger, there’s no mistaking the authentic ginger flavor in this handcrafted beverage. It has a bright and spicy taste that has been known to leave lips tingling—in a good way.
Read Next: The Best Nonalcoholic Beers
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Region: Australia | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, citrus
What started out as a small-batch kombucha company has expanded to also brew switchel and ginger beer. The latter is traditionally fermented with organic ginger juice and live cultures. The fermentation process gives the ginger beer a potent spice profile. All of Remedy’s products are sugar-free and overseen by an in-house nutritionist.
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Region: England | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, sweet
Bartenders swear by Fever-Tree’s “premium” take on ginger beer for all sorts of concoctions. “It’s nice and dry (less sugar than most) with a flavor that won’t overpower the other ingredients in the co*cktail or Highball,” says McGee. “Really great effervescence as well.” Made by brewing three gingers from Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, and Cochin, India, this beverage will elevate classic co*cktails like a Dark 'n Stormy or Moscow Mule.
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Region: New York | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, sweet
Q’s lime-forward take on ginger beer brings out the citrus flavors in a Moscow Mule. Instead of using high-fructose corn syrup or sugar, it's made with a bit of organic agave for a refreshing taste. The addition of chili peppers and a boost of carbonation also helps give this co*cktail component a little extra something.
Read Next: The Best Moscow Mule Mugs
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Region: Australia | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, citrus
When making a co*cktail like the Dark 'n Stormy, you’ll want a ginger beer that can hold its own against dark rum. Enter Australia’s Bundaberg. “It’s great for Dark 'n Stormys for the fall and winter because it has a great balance of sweet and spice with a warm foamy fizz that reminds me of dark beers,” says Fanny Chu, head bartender at Donna in New York. Brewed for up to three days, this authentic ginger beer is made with Australian-grown ginger and sugar cane.
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Region: New York | ABV: 0% ABV
You know you are getting the real deal with Brooklyn Crafted’s line of ginger beers. Made with unfiltered ginger and raw cane sugar, these beverages are available in a variety of flavors—think Mango and Lemon-Lime.
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Region: Bermuda | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, citrus
Although Goslings advertises that this ginger beer is made for Dark 'n Stormys, its moderate spice level and restrained sweetness make it one of the more versatile options. It's also less fizzy than other ginger beers, as well as more budget-friendly and readily available.
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Region: Bermuda | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, sweet
Barritt's offers an accessible option that can be enjoyed on its own. The company has been making ginger beer since 1874 when William John Barritt opened a dry goods store in Bermuda. Today, it is a fifth-generation, family-run business that specializes in a ginger beer that’s “sweet, pleasantly spicy with nice effervescence,” according to McGee. Its sugar free variation promises all of the flavor with zero calories.
Read Next: The Best co*cktail Glasses
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Region: California | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, citrus
“It has that bite when I want a little more of a ginger kick,” says Chu when describing this ginger beer from Reed’s. Made with twice as much ginger as its original recipe, Extra Ginger Brew has the right balance of heat and sweet. For the die-hard ginger fan, Reed’s also makes a “Strongest” version with three times the ginger.
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Region: California | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, sweet
While you may be familiar with actor Ryan Renolds’ Aviation gin, his wife Blakey Likely also has her own line of beverages. Betty Buzz launched in 2021 with five nonalcoholic options, including Meyer lemon club soda and tonic water. Its ginger beer is made with ginger juice, cane sugar, which gives it a delicate balance of subtle spice and sweetness. Sticking with the aviation theme, each glass bottle is adorned with a spinning biplane.
Read Next: The Best Tonic Waters
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Region: Scotland | ABV: 4.8% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, vanilla, spice
Crabbies traces its roots all the way back to 1801, when ginger beer was still, well, beer. Crabbie has been made almost the same way for centuries, with secret ingredients that are combined with steeped ginger for up to eight weeks. The resulting beverage is one you can easily mistake for its non-alcoholic counterpart, with a slight ginger bite and easy on the alcohol. The elephant on the label is a tribute to magnificent creatures that transported the drink's key ingredient in the 19th Century, a favorite of founder John Crabbie.
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Region: Oregon | ABV: 0% ABV | Tasting Notes: Ginger, spice, basil
The rise in popularity in ginger beer and non-alcoholic beverage options brings more than just canned and bottled options. Ginger syrup is a great way to capture that ginger flavor in a mixed drink or just on it’s own, giving the user more control over how much ginger ends up in their drink. Portland Soda Co.’s Spicy Ginger Syrup is made with fresh whole ginger along with fresh habanero and serrano chilies, making it one of the more flavorful options on the market.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing ginger beer that will be as satisfying in a co*cktail as it is on its own, look no further than readily available Fever-Tree.
What to Look For
Don’t open a can of ginger beer expecting an easy-drinking experience. Unlike ginger ale, ginger beer is designed to deliver a bit of a kick. You want a strong ginger flavor that can stand up to alcohol when mixed in a co*cktail. Bonus points if the ginger beer is made with real ginger and cane sugar.
FAQs
What exactly is ginger beer—what's in it besides ginger?
As the name suggests, ginger beer was historically an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting ginger, water, and sugar. While a few boozy ginger beers have made a resurgence on the market, modern ginger beer is a carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage made with ginger and sugar.
What's the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer?
Ginger beer is traditionally less sweet and more spicy than its soda-like cousin, ginger ale.
Is there any alcohol in ginger beer?
Back when ginger beer was a fermented beverage, it’s ABV could top 11%. These days, the ABV of most ginger beers is below .5%, therefore classifying it as non-alcoholic. Some “hard” versions have an ABV between 4% and 6%.
What's the best alcohol to mix with it?
The Moscow Mule, the classic ginger beer co*cktail, is made with vodka, but ginger beer’s spice notes also pair well with sweeter spirits such as rum.
Why Trust Liquor.com?
Sarah Freeman is a food and beverage writer based in Chicago. She has been writing about restaurants and bars for the past decade—from learning about what makes a perfect piece of co*cktail ice to the exploring art of beer label design.
