There ain’t no cocktail like a ginger cocktail. Ginger — spicy, brightening, and healing all at once — can liven up any classic cocktail. But here at VinePair, we know that ginger can do more than that. When a drink is crafted around ginger, there’s truly nothing better.
Here are three original ginger-forward cocktails to get you started. (Hint: The longer you muddle the pieces of ginger, the spicier it will be.)
All recipes by Nick Hines
Down the River Mai Tai
This take on the Mai Tai celebrates and welcomes spring, with the blossoming of flowers representing new life and a new beginning. Despite the spicy ginger, there’s a soft underlying feeling of calm and serenity to this cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces white rum
- .5 ounce orange curaçao
- .5 ounce fresh orange juice
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 6 pieces fresh ginger
- Cherry garnish
Directions:
Add rum, curaçao, lemon, orange, and ginger into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the ginger for about 15 seconds or until the pieces are broken up. Shake over ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over ice and garnish with cherry.
Southwest Ginger Sour
Just like the vibrant morning sun over the edge of the vast Southwest desert, the Southwest Ginger Sour is bright and enticing. A strong bourbon backbone is rounded out by lime and simple syrup, then enhanced with fresh ginger. A simple flag garnish (cherry and orange slice) completes the presentation of the drink.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces bourbon
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- .5 ounce simple syrup
- 6 pieces fresh ginger
- Cherry garnish
Directions:
Add bourbon, lime, simple syrup, and ginger into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the ginger for about 15 seconds or until the pieces are broken up. Add ice, stir for 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with cherry and orange.
Smokey Mountain Margarita
The Smokey Mountain Margarita brings bounce and uncertainty to the glass. Ginger helps the sweet-yet-smoky mezcal express itself, while the grapefruit adds a slightly bitter kick. It’s steady, strong, and will be gone before you know it.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces mezcal
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- .5 ounce agave syrup
- 6 pieces fresh ginger
- .5 ounce grapefruit
Directions:
Add mezcal, lime, agave, grapefruit, and fresh ginger into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the ginger for about 15 seconds or until the pieces are broken up. Add ice, shake for 15 seconds. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
