
5 of the Best Ginger Beers for Moscow Mules: A Flavor for Every Palate
A cocktail is only as good as its ingredients and the Moscow Mule is no different. Without quality spirit, ginger beer, and fresh lime juice, you’re going to be left with a drink that, while it may give you a little buzz, is just plain not going to taste good.
With so few ingredients, too, making sure each part of your Mule is top notch is especially important. That being said, there are tons of available ginger beers available on the market today. Depending on what you want out of your ginger beer – the level of spiciness, for example, or the amount of sugar if you’re trying to watch your waistline – there is definitely a brand out there for you.
One thing to remember, though, is to look at the ingredients when choosing your ginger beer. Are they using fresh ginger? Does the brand use real sugar or is it high fructose corn syrup? Do they add anything else to round out the flavor profile? You should consider all of these questions when deciding on a ginger beer.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite ginger beers. And while you can certainly use these ginger beers in other drinks, we think they work best in a Moscow Mule (or any of the other mule variations that are out there).
Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer
While most closely associated with another classic drink, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy (Gosling’s even owns the trademark on the name of the cocktail), Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer may be one of the most widely available ginger beers out there. A little sweeter than most, it also packs a nice spice hit without being overwhelming.
Reed’s Strongest Ginger Beer
For those looking to light up their palate with spice, Reed’s Strongest is the ginger beer to use. The spiciest of Reed’s three ginger beer offerings, Strongest uses three times the amount of fresh, organic ginger from Peru, which makes for a hot ginger beer. Honey, pineapple juice concentrate, and lemon and lime juice concentrates add even more flavor, delivering a bright, tropical ginger beer.
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Hailing from Australia, this ginger beer is made from a generations-old family recipe and comes in its own iconic bottle. Not too spicy (and also not too sweet), this is a great middle-of-the-road ginger beer for those that want the flavor, but don’t want to put their mouth through the proverbial spicy ringer (or if you just don’t like super spicy things). Bundaberg makes for a great sessionable ginger beer.
Fever Tree Ginger Beer
Fever Tree uses a blend of three different gingers (from Nigeria, Cochin, and the Ivory Coast) to create a ginger beer with depth. Warming without being too spicy, the ginger flavor lingers on your palate for a good bit after you swallow. The concentration of carbonation in Fever Tree products, too, makes for a delightful sipping experience (especially when added to the fresh ginger flavors and aromas).
Q Ginger Beer
Q Ginger Beer also excels in dialing up the carbonation for maximum effect. Add to that not only fresh ginger, but chili peppers, agave syrup, cardamom, coriander, and lime, and you’ve got a ginger beer that is meant to be used as a mixer and not just a soda substitution. Bright and spicy, even a little bit of Q Ginger Beer goes a long way in drinks.

Sam Slaughter is the author of Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum?: And Other Cocktails For ‘90s Kids. His food & drink writing can be seen in Maxim, Bloomberg, InsideHook, The Manual, The Bitter Southerner, and more. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina and can be found online @slaughterwrites.