A wildly popular drink, especially in the US, ginger ale is a deceitfully simple beverage that appeals to most palates. This carbonated beverage is flavored with ginger and is typically used as an alcoholic mixer, but it can also be enjoyed as-is.
Apart from being a go-to refreshment, ginger ale also helps with digestion, helps manage symptoms of flu and the common cold, and can even help reduce nausea. If you are a fan of ginger ale, here’s a curated list of some of the best brands of ginger ale with real ginger.
Is There Any Ginger Ale With Real Ginger?
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Many popular ginger ales include “made with 100% ginger” on their labels. Most ginger ale brands also mention the minimal natural ginger content on their product.
Ginger ale is typically made with carbonated water, natural flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. Here, “natural flavors” tends to mean ginger root extract or ginger flavoring.
Compared to ginger flavoring, ginger ale made with ginger root will, of course, offer more flavor and will be a healthier alternative than any regular soda.
6 Ginger Ale Brands With Real Ginger
#1. Canada Dry Ginger Ale
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Canada Dry is synonymous with ginger ale. This iconic brand has been around for more than a century and is one that nearly everyone has grown up with.
It is believed that Canada Dry first gained popularity during Prohibition because the beverage’s flavor helped disguise the vile taste of the bootlegged liquors.
Pegged as the “Champagne of Soda,” Canada Dry Ginger Ale boasts a refreshing, crisp, and fizzy taste with a slight hint of ginger and specifies 2% ginger extract content. It also has unique citrusy overtones that are not as sweet as the flavor of other ginger ales.
Canada Dry has other ginger ale varieties like the Cranberry Ginger Ale, Green Tea and Ginger Ale, Ginger Ale and Orange, and Ginger Ale and Lemonade.
#2. Schweppes Ginger Ale
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A close second to Canaday Dry in terms of popularity, Schweppes is one of the most well-established and successful brands of ginger ale.
Schweppes Ginger Ale was first introduced in 1870, and like all the other Schweppes beverages, it was an instant hit with the public.
Schweppes Ginger Ale has a crisp, refreshing, slightly gingery flavor with the perfect amount of carbonation. It is also much sweeter than Canday Dry, tasting very similar to Sprite.
Over the years, Schweppes Ginger Ale also embraced new exciting flavors like the Dark Ginger Ale, Dry Grape Ginger Ale, Raspberry Ginger Ale, and Black Cherry Ginger Ale.
#3. Blue Sky Ginger Ale Soda
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Launched in 1971, Blue Sky Ginger Ale Soda is a caffeine-free beverage that highlights its use of non-GMO ingredients. And true to its tagline of “Rooted in Real,” the brand is all about natural and authentic flavors.
Known for its bubbly, zesty punch, it is one of the few ginger ales that use cane sugar as its main sweetener rather than high fructose syrup like many of its competitors.
Blue Sky Ginger Ale Soda also tastes more like ginger beer because of how it teases the back of the throat and tongue with its flavors. But like most other ginger ales, it has the same refreshing, crisp, and gingery taste.
#4. Vernors Ginger Drink
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Another veteran of ginger ales in the US is Vernors. This beverage is the brainchild of James Vernor, a Detroit pharmacist who then began selling the drink at his pharmacy in 1866. The success of his ginger ale led to Vernor closing his pharmacy and manufacturing the drink through the Detroit Historical Society.
Over the years, Vernors has remained one of the most popular ginger ale brands because of its full-bloodied sweet and citrusy flavor.
You can drink it hot or cold or even with some ice cream, the rich taste of this beverage with amazing carbonation can be enjoyed in any way at any time.
#5. Fever Tree
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One of the youngest ginger ales on the market, Fever Tree was launched in 2003 but has emerged as a strong competitor.
The taste of Fever-Tree can be described as slightly tart with the right mix of carbonation and gingery tang. It also achieved that delicate balance of being dry and sweet without being too overwhelming on the palate.
Its powerful full-bloodied taste can be attributed to the combination of the world’s best gingers — ginger roots from India, Ivory Coasts, and Nigeria. With its delectable flavor, plenty of mixologists prefer Fever-Tree over other ginger ale brands to create cocktails varying in sweetness, taste, and acidity.
#6. Reed’s Ginger Ale
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Reed’s started as a retailer of gingery sweets and beverages and has made a name for itself primarily due to its ginger beer. Reed’s Ginger Ale is a winning beverage with a fair kick that can easily be mistaken for ginger beer.
The recipe for this beverage is heavily based on Jamaican recipes and is made with honey, spices, fruit juices, and natural ginger. Unlike some of the ginger ale brands that only use artificial ginger flavoring, Reed’s Ginger Ale has 17 grams of organic, non-GMO pressed ginger root in each bottle.
Reed’s also offers three levels of spices for its ginger ales — original with the lightest kick, medium with extra spice thanks to a double dose of pressed ginger, and the strongest one with three times the intensity of ginger.
How To Make Ginger Ale At Home
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If you want to try your hand at creating your very own signature ginger ale at home, this basic recipe for homemade ginger ale is a great place to start.
You will need one cup of finely chopped ginger and two cups of water. As for the syrup, you need another cup of water and one more cup of sugar. Prepare your club soda, ice, and some lime juice and wedges. This will make approximately 4 servings, and the preparation time is roughly 35 minutes.
#1. Bring the two cups of water to a boil and add the finely chopped ginger. Reduce the heat to medium and let the ginger simmer for about five minutes, then turn off the heat.
#2. Let the water sit for 20 minutes, and strain the liquid to remove all the ginger pieces.
#3. In a separate pan, dissolve the granulated sugar in one cup of boiling water.
#4. Start assembling the ginger ale by making individual tall glasses of ½ cup ginger water, 1/3 cup of syrup, and ½ cup of club soda.
#5. You can serve it with some ice and a few drops of lime juice. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!
