Bourbon and Ginger Beer: Best Drinks to Make (Easy Recipes)

When thinking of spirits to pair with ginger beer, vodka tends to steal the show. People assume the bold spice of ginger beer needs a light, clear spirit, but bourbon is a surprisingly strong contender. Its vanilla and oak notes hold their own against the ginger’s burn, and the boozy heat still cuts through. 

Most people already know the bourbon and ginger beer cocktail that gets all the attention: the Kentucky Mule, and rightfully so. But this pairing has much more potential. There are loads of easy bourbon and ginger beer drinks worth making, and most of them don’t demand much. No wild ingredients, shaker tins, or fruit purees. Usually just a glass, some ice, a few pours, and a quick stir.

Quick Answer

The most popular drink with bourbon and ginger beer is the Kentucky Mule, made with bourbon, ginger beer, and fresh lime juice. After that, the best options are a simple bourbon ginger, a spicier mule, a maple variant, an apple variation, and a bitters-forward version that adds a bit of nuance to the drink.

Comparisson Table

The Best Bourbon and Ginger Beer Drinks

Ginger beer and bourbon give you range without demanding much in return. You can keep it lean, sharp, citrusy, a little sweet, or go heavier once the cold weather shows up. 

1. Kentucky Mule

The Kentucky Mule is basically the bourbon cousin of the Moscow Mule. Same general mule structure, just swap out vodka for bourbon and, suddenly, the whole thing has more character. Vodka is fine, but bourbon brings more to the glass. More body. More warmth. More flavor.

Without lime, you’ve got a bourbon ginger, which is still good, but, with lime, the drink gets shape. It feels brighter, fresher, and more finished, all thanks to a few seconds of extra work.

This is also a cocktail that you can build in the glass; no cocktail shaker needed. While the traditional serving vessel for this drink is a copper mug, a Collins glass works just fine.

Ingredient list:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
• Ice
• Lime wedge

Quick steps:

1. Fill a copper mug or highball glass with ice.
2. Pour in the bourbon and lime juice.
3. Top with ginger beer.
4. Stir once or twice. Don’t beat it up.
5. Garnish with lime.

2. Bourbon Ginger Highball

The bourbon and ginger beer highball is what you make when you want a drink fast. No lime. No syrup. No bitters. Just bourbon, ginger beer, and ice. Done. And sometimes that is exactly the right call.

There’s something nice about how direct it is. You taste the bourbon. You get the spice from the ginger beer. Nothing gets in the way. It’s not trying to be a cocktail menu star. It’s just solid. If you don’t have limes on hand, this is the obvious backup plan.

Basic build:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer
• Ice

That’s your basic bourbon and ginger beer drink. If you want a tiny upgrade, add a strip of lemon peel for some citrus aroma without the tartness. But, honestly, it doesn’t need much. Serve it in a highball glass, and you’re done.

3. Spicy Bourbon Mule

If regular ginger beer already hits with some heat, this one leans into it even harder.

This is one of those ginger beer and bourbon cocktails that starts familiar, then adds one small, important twist: adding jalapeño. First sip: okay, that’s a mule. Second sip: wait, there’s more going on here.

Easy version:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 4 to 5 ounces spicy ginger beer
• 1 or 2 jalapeño slices, or a few dashes spicy bitters
• Optional Tajín rim

You don’t need to muddle the jalapeño into oblivion. Just let it hang out in the glass a little. A light touch is better here. Too much heat, and the drink turns into a dare instead of a cocktail.

4. Maple Bourbon Ginger

This is where things get richer. Not dessert-sweet. Just rounder.

A little maple syrup changes the whole feel of the drink. It pulls the warmer notes out of the bourbon, softens the rougher edges of the ginger, and makes the whole thing feel right for late fall, when it’s getting cold and you’re done with bright patio drinks. 

Try this:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1/4 ounce maple syrup
• 4 ounces ginger beer
• Optional squeeze of lemon or lime

You don’t need much maple. Seriously. This is where people mess it up. They get excited, pour too much, and are left with a glass that is too saccharine to savor. Keep it tight.

5. Apple Bourbon Ginger

Apple and bourbon have been friends for a long time. That part isn’t new. Add ginger beer, and now the drink has layers.

Apple cider gives it body. Bourbon gives it backbone. Ginger beer lifts the whole thing so it doesn’t just sit there like warm pie filling in a glass. The end result is the perfect autumnal sipper.

Some apple whiskey drinks get too thick, too obvious, and too much. This one doesn’t have to.

Basic build:

• 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
• 2 ounces apple cider
• 3 ounces ginger beer
• Optional squeeze of lemon

This is a seasonal one, sure, but not in a forced way. It just naturally fits colder months. Still, if you like apple and whiskey, you can ignore the calendar and make it whenever.

6. Bourbon Ginger with Bitters

This is for the person who wants a little more complexity without making the drink feel like work.

Add a few dashes of aromatic bitters to a bourbon ginger, and it suddenly feels more put together. Still casual. Still quick. Just a little more layered. More spice. More finish. More reason to slow down for a second.

Simple build:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer
• 2 or 3 dashes aromatic bitters
• Orange peel or lemon peel

If the plain highball is the version you make in two seconds on a weeknight, this is the one you make when somebody’s over and you want it to look like you put some thought into the drinks, even if you didn’t.

Why Bourbon and Ginger Beer Actually Work

This pairing works because the ingredients cover each other’s weaknesses.

Bourbon is rich. Sometimes sweet. Sometimes a little heavy. Usually a little hot. Ginger beer is sharp, fizzy, spicy, and almost aggressive, depending on the brand. One brings weight. One brings lift. That’s the whole story.

The flavor balance matters too. Bourbon usually has caramel, vanilla, oak, and sometimes baking spices. Ginger beer brings actual ginger heat and carbonation. Add citrus and now the whole thing tightens up. That’s why lime matters so much in a Kentucky Mule. It keeps the sweetness from spreading all over the place. 

Best Bourbon for Ginger Beer Drinks

When it comes to mixing bourbon with ginger beer, leave your most expensive bottle on the shelf. Save it for sipping. Or don’t, it’s your bottle. But for mixed drinks like this, a good mid-range bottle is wise.

What you want is a bourbon that still tastes like bourbon once the ginger beer shows up. Not too delicate. Not too smoky. Not so expensive that every pour makes your wallet wince. 

A bottle like Maker’s Mark works well because it’s easygoing, round, and doesn’t disappear once the ginger beer shows up. Classic Kentucky bourbons are also usually a safe bet. Vanilla, caramel, baking spice, maybe a touch of oak. That’s the zone.

A few rules that keep life simpler:

• Mid-range is usually the sweet spot
• Avoid super smoky whiskey styles here
• Don’t waste the fancy bottle unless you really want to
• Pick something with enough body to hang on next to ginger beer

Best Ginger Beer for Bourbon Cocktails

Weak ginger beer gives you a weak drink. Flat bubbles, vague ginger, too much sweetness, no bite. And then people blame the bourbon. Not fair.

For most ginger beer and bourbon cocktails, the best ginger beer is the one with real snap to it. Not pain. Not punishment. Plenty of snap and just enough spice to stand up to the spirit.

What to look for:

• Strong ginger presence
• Good carbonation
• Sweet, but not syrupy
• A clean finish

Fever-Tree is a solid place to start. It tends to have enough bite to work well in whiskey drinks without turning the glass into a ginger bomb. There are others, obviously, but that’s a reliable pick when you don’t want to think too hard. For those who like more of a ginger punch, Goslings is a great choice.

Kentucky Mule vs Bourbon Ginger

A Kentucky Mule is bourbon, ginger beer, and lime juice. A bourbon ginger (or whiskey ginger) is usually just bourbon and ginger beer. While ginger beer and ginger ale may sound similar, they result in very different drinking experiences.

The Kentucky Mule is brighter, sharper, and more balanced. It has more structure. The lime gives it a beginning, middle, and end.

A bourbon ginger is simpler and maybe a little rougher around the edges, but that’s not a bad thing. Ginger ale lacks the bold snap of ginger beer, which makes the drink sweeter, lighter, and softer. 

Easy Ratio Guide

If you don’t want full recipes, here’s the short version that covers most of these drinks:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer
• Optional 1/2 ounce lime juice

That’s the basic framework. You can move it around depending on the bourbon, the ginger beer, and how strong you want the final pour. But if you start there, you’re in good shape.

A few simple tweaks:

• Use more ginger beer if you want it lighter
• Use less ginger beer if you want more bourbon showing
• Add lime if the drink tastes too sweet
• Add bitters if it feels flat
• Add mint or another aromatic garnish

Common Mistakes That Make These Drinks Worse

These are easy drinks but, somehow, people manage to make them weird. In virtually every case, you’re more likely to mess the drink up by doing too much rather than not enough. Here’s how it can go wrong:

A Few Small Serving Notes That Actually Help

Glassware doesn’t change the universe, but it does change the feel of the drink.

A copper mug makes a Kentucky Mule feel colder and a little more classic. A highball glass is cleaner and more practical. Either one works. Don’t let anybody tell you the drink breaks if it touches the wrong glass. 

Ice matters more. Use enough of it. A sad handful of half-melted cubes makes every drink worse.

And serve these drinks cold. Colder than you think. Bourbon can carry warmth on its own. Ginger beer works best when it’s crisp, tight, and fizzy. 

Which Bourbon and Ginger Beer Drink Should You Make First?

Bourbon and ginger beer work so well together because the pairing gives you room to move. You can keep it stripped down with a simple highball, sharpen it with lime in a Kentucky Mule, add heat with spicy ginger beer or jalapeño, or lean into colder-weather flavors with maple, apple cider, and bitters.

That range is the whole point. This isn’t one of those cocktail combinations where there’s only one correct answer and everything else feels like a compromise. The Kentucky Mule is still the standard for a reason. It has the cleanest structure, the brightest balance, and the easiest path from “I have bourbon and ginger beer” to “I made an actual cocktail.”

But the other versions earn their place too. A bourbon ginger is fast and unfussy. A spicy mule gives the drink more bite. Maple makes it richer without turning it into dessert. Apple cider brings a seasonal angle that actually makes sense. Bitters add just enough depth to make a two-ingredient drink feel a little more considered.

The best move is to start with the basic ratio, taste as you go, and adjust from there. Use a bourbon with enough body to stand up to the ginger beer. Use ginger beer with real snap. Add citrus when the drink feels too sweet or heavy. Keep the extras under control.

That’s really the trick. Bourbon and ginger beer don’t need much help. Give them ice, balance, and one good idea at a time, and you’ll have plenty of easy drinks worth making again.

_{Feature Image Credits: Unspash/Misunderstood Whiskey}