Hosts serving ginger-led drinks
If ginger is the main flavour, decide whether guests would prefer a more pronounced ginger beer or a gentler ginger ale. A drink intended to be served over ice also needs to work without a spirit mixed into it.
Who is choosing the drinks?
Hosts planning gin and tonic
Start with the gin serve you have in mind. An original tonic keeps the pairing distinct from a flavoured tonic, whose additional fruit or botanical notes may change the drink.
Hosts providing alcohol-free choices
Choose a specific soft drink rather than assuming every product called ginger beer is alcohol-free. If ingredients or nutrition matter to guests, check the label on the exact variant and pack.
What should you check before buying?
Plan the serves first, then check each mixer’s label and pack format against the guests and drinks you are catering for.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour pairing | Check whether the drink calls for ginger beer, ginger ale or tonic. Compare the stated ginger, citrus or botanical flavours with the spirit and garnish you plan to use. | I want ginger to stand out in one drink, but I may need a different mixer for gin. Fever-Tree describes its Ginger Ale as a pairing for whisky, bourbon and rum; London Essence presents its tonic range for gin. |
| Alcohol status | Check the exact product category and label, including alcohol-by-volume information where shown. Do not judge alcohol content from the words “ginger beer” alone. | Some guests will want a drink without alcohol, so I need to know which bottles I can serve to them. |
| Ingredients and nutrition | Read the current ingredients and allergen information. Compare sugar and energy figures per 100ml, then consider the amount you intend to serve; a “light” variant name is not a comparison with every other mixer. | If a guest needs to check an ingredient, or I am comparing sugar across drinks, I want the figures for the actual variants on the table. |
| Serving format | Check the volume of each bottle or can and the number in the pack. Decide whether you need individual servings, a drink to pour over ice, or enough mixer for planned long drinks. | I would rather plan servings around the drinks people are likely to have than choose a multipack by its count alone. |
What can go wrong with the choice?
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Treating ginger beer and ginger ale as interchangeable
A ginger beer chosen for its pronounced flavour may change a drink intended for a gentler ginger mixer. Fever-Tree positions its Ginger Ale for whisky, bourbon and rum, while describing its Ginger Beer as a deeper ginger-led drink.
Decide on the serve before choosing the bottle, especially if a recipe specifies one type of ginger mixer.
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Assuming every ginger beer is alcohol-free
Ginger beer appears both among soft drinks and in a separate alcoholic drinks category. The name alone does not tell a host which product is being served.
Check the exact label and alcohol information before putting a ginger beer out for guests avoiding alcohol.
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Comparing a “light” mixer with every other drink
A relative claim can apply only to a named product in the same maker’s range. The comparison on Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Ale is with its Premium Ginger Ale, not with every ginger ale or tonic.
For drinks from different ranges, compare the current nutrition figures on the same per-100ml basis and account for serving size.
Which mixer ranges are relevant?
These brand ranges illustrate different flavour routes; a brand name alone does not settle which variant suits a particular BBQ drink.
Fever-Tree
Its ginger and tonic ranges give hosts separate options for ginger-led drinks and gin serves.
- Fever-Tree describes its Ginger Beer as having a deep, lasting ginger character and positions its Ginger Ale for whisky, bourbon and rum.
- Choose the exact ginger or tonic variant for the planned serve; the range name does not make the flavours interchangeable.
Fentimans
Its Ginger Beer is an option to consider when a more prominent ginger flavour is wanted over ice or in a mixed drink.
- Fentimans describes the drink as spicy, with herbal notes and a hint of pear.
- That stated flavour profile may not suit a drink intended to have a neutral mixer.
London Essence
Its tonic range is relevant when gin, rather than a ginger-led drink, is the starting point.
- London Essence presents its tonics as gin pairings and offers original and flavoured options.
- If choosing a flavoured tonic, check that its stated notes fit the gin and garnish you intend to serve.
Schweppes
Its GB range includes familiar mixer formats such as tonic, slimline tonic and lemonade.
- The range offers a way to plan classic tonic serves alongside other soft-drink choices.
- Check the individual variant’s flavour, ingredients and label rather than assuming all Schweppes drinks serve the same purpose.
Joybuy options for BBQ drinks
These options cover ginger ale for dark-spirit mixes, tonic for gin, ginger-led drinks and an elderflower soda that can be served on its own or used in a mixed drink. Choose by the serve you are planning, not by treating every product as the same kind of mixer.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Ale, 8 x 150 ml
Consider this ginger ale for planned whisky or rum mixes; the pack contains eight 150 ml servings. “Refreshingly Light” identifies the variant, so check its current nutrition label when comparing it with other drinks.
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Fever-Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water, 8 x 150 ml
For a gin-and-tonic serving plan, this tonic comes in eight 150 ml portions. It is a different flavour route from ginger mixers; use the current pack label for any ingredient or nutrition comparison.
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Bundaberg Ginger Beer, 4 x 375 ml
This four-bottle, 375 ml format is an option for ginger-led drinks served over ice or mixed. Check the exact bottle’s alcohol information before including it among drinks for guests avoiding alcohol.
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Dalston's Fizzy Elderflower, 330 ml
This 330 ml elderflower drink offers a different flavour for serving on its own or mixing with gin or vodka. It is not a tonic or a ginger mixer, so check that elderflower fits the drink you have in mind.
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Old Jamaica Ginger, 6 x 330 ml
For individual ginger-led servings, this pack contains six 330 ml cans. Check the current ingredients if sweeteners matter to your guests, and choose it for a ginger drink rather than a gin-and-tonic serve.
Questions about BBQ mixers
Should I choose ginger beer or ginger ale for a BBQ?
Choose ginger beer if a pronounced ginger flavour is the point of the drink; consider ginger ale when you are planning whisky, bourbon or rum mixes. Fever-Tree describes its Ginger Ale for those spirits, while Fentimans describes its Ginger Beer as spicy and herbal. If following a recipe, check which type it calls for.
Can I serve a ginger mixer to guests avoiding alcohol?
Yes, if the particular product is a non-alcoholic soft drink, but do not decide from the words “ginger beer” alone. Check the exact bottle’s category and alcohol information before serving it.
How should I check ingredients and allergens?
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current bottle or can you will serve. Check the exact variant again when buying a different size or a “light” version, rather than relying on another product’s listing.