What Is Ginger Beer?
And is it the same thing as ginger ale?
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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
You may know it as a key ingredient in classic cocktails like the Moscow Mule or Dark and Stormy, but what exactly is ginger beer? And how is it different from ginger ale? Here, we dive into ginger beer’s origins, break down the differences between ginger ale and ginger beer, and share our favorite ginger beer cocktail recipes.
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What Is Ginger Beer
Ginger beer is a sweetened, carbonated beverage with an intense ginger flavor and spicy kick. Ginger beer originated in England and it was made by fermenting and brewing sugar, ginger, water and sometimes lemon with a starter culture called the ginger beer plant. As a result, traditional ginger beer contained around 11 percent alcohol; this is also why beer became part of its name. Today, most commercial ginger beers contain no alcohol or less than .5 percent.
Ginger beer’s spicy-sweet flavor profile makes it an excellent mixer and it’s a key ingredient in classic cocktails. Because it contains no alcohol, ginger beer is also a go-to ingredient for spirit-free drinks.
Is Ginger Beer Alcoholic?
Despite its name, most commercially produced ginger beer is non-alcoholic. Some ginger beers contain less than .5 percent alcohol.
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Ginger Ale vs Ginger Beer: What’s the Difference?
Ginger beer has a more robust ginger flavor and is spicier than ginger ale, which is a ginger-flavored soft drink. Traditional ginger beer’s carbonation would occur naturally so it would be less carbonated than ginger ale; however, many modern ginger beers are made with forced carbonation or brewed with Champagne yeast to create more effervescence. Depending on the filtering process, ginger beer can be clear or cloudy, but it’s typically darker in color than ginger beer.
Ginger Beer Cocktails
Matt Armendariz
The homemade ginger ice cubes in this recipe are worth the extra effort. They elevate this classic cocktail and amplify the ginger flavor to heady, aromatic effect.
Kate Mathis
Non-alcoholic ginger beer brings deep ginger flavor to this easy spirit-free cocktail. The blood orange and thyme makes for a bright, refreshing way to open or close a big holiday meal, but it’s excellent to sip all on its own, too.
Light and dark rums anchor this refreshing cocktail, but the basil syrup takes the whole thing over the top. Warming spices such as allspice and peppercorns play beautifully off the ginger beer, which brings effervescence and spice in spades.
This spirit-free riff on a Moscow Mule combines ginger beer with lime seltzer instead of vodka, and the candied ginger garnish adds a sweet and spicy final flourish.
Lime juice, dark rum and ginger beer come together in this refreshing highball filled with ice and a remarkable depth of flavor.
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