Whiskey Ginger
Bourbon and ginger ale over ice with a lime wedge. The bar call that needs no recipe — a highball built on whiskey's vanilla and ginger ale's sweetness, and the Kentucky Mule's gentler parent.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Add the whiskey.
Top with chilled ginger ale.
Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink, drop it in and stir once.
A thoughtful finish
- A dry ginger ale (Canada Dry, Fever-Tree) keeps it from going syrupy.
- Two to one is a stronger, better-tasting drink than the three-to-one bar pour.
- A dash of Angostura turns it into something closer to a cocktail.
Common mistakes
- Warm ginger ale; everything should be cold before it meets the ice.
- Ginger beer, which makes a Kentucky Mule, a different and spicier drink.
- Skipping the lime; it is what keeps the sweetness in check.
A few good questions.
What does a Whiskey Ginger taste like?
Vanilla-and-caramel whiskey under sweet, lightly spicy ginger and bubbles — easy and cold.
Ginger ale or ginger beer?
Ginger ale for a Whiskey Ginger; ginger beer makes a Kentucky Mule.
Which whiskey?
Bourbon is the default in the United States; Canadian whisky is the classic Prohibition pairing; Irish is soft and good.
How strong is it?
About 12% at two to one — a highball's strength.
Variations
- Kentucky Mule — Bourbon, lime and ginger beer.
- Whiskey Highball — Whiskey and soda.
- Horse's Neck — Bourbon, ginger ale and a long lemon peel.
- Presbyterian — Whiskey with ginger ale and soda.
Where it comes from
c. 1900s · United States
Whiskey and ginger ale is as old as bottled ginger ale, which the Irish and Canadians were making by the 1850s and Americans by the 1870s; Canada Dry’s pale ginger ale of 1904 became its standard mixer, and Canadian whisky its Prohibition partner, when the ginger ale’s sweetness hid the spirit. ‘Whiskey ginger’ as a bar call is just the highball with no name beyond its parts, made with bourbon in the South, rye in the North and Canadian whisky in Canada. It is sweeter and softer than a Kentucky Mule, which uses ginger beer, and the usual ratio is one part whiskey to two or three of ginger ale over plenty of ice with a lime wedge.
Sources
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Whiskey Ginger, 2010 (reference)
- Liquor.com, Whiskey Ginger, 2019 (reference)
Strength. About 1.5 US standard drinks at an estimated 13% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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