A Thirst for Authentic and Sophisticated
The Moscow Mule is quickly becoming the ‘it’ drink these days, most craft cocktail menus will offer either a riff on a Mule or include the classic in its distinct copper mug. And although bartenders have used other spirits and additions, ginger beer remains the key ingredient. Most experienced bartenders will tell you this seemingly simple-to-mix cocktail is anything but easy to pull off, balancing the flavors and the quality of ingredients can make or break this drink.
“Bundaberg is the perfect mixer for the Moscow Mule. Bartenders appreciate that the heritage of using premium ingredients like Bundaberg Ginger Beer allows them to sell better-quality and better-tasting cocktails.”
– John McLean CEO of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks
With the exploding popularity of ginger beer and the Moscow Mule, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, best known for its ginger beer, set out to find cocktails that can measure up to the Mule using their iconic beverage. With this in mind, the brand hand-selected six mixologists to receive a “Brewed to Taste Better” Ginger Beer kit to create an original cocktail starring Bundaberg Ginger Beer.
From a small town in Australia that shares the name Bundaberg, the company’s ginger beer is brewed over three days, which imparts a taste experience like no other. With real ingredients you can taste, the brewed beverages have a flavor intensity you can only get through the brewing process.
While known for its ginger beer, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks actually have seven flavors in the U.S. market (Ginger Beer, Root Beer, Lemon Lime & Bitters, Blood Orange, Peach, Pink Grapefruit, and Guava). “While they are fantastic mixers, they’re great on their own,” continues McLean. “They’re the perfect alternative to alcohol for consumers who don’t want to feel like they are depriving themselves during social situations, but rather enhancing these special occasions.”
The whole experience of enjoying their brews has put Bundaberg on the map. There’s the classic Bundaberg glass bottle topped with the unique rip-cap; part of the experience of enjoying a Bundaberg Brew is the ritual of inverting the bottle before you open it, or what they call, “Flip, Rip and Sip.” It’s not a gimmick, it’s designed to help infuse the real ingredients throughout the brew to unlock the full flavor, it’s flavor you can see. And, as a result, it makes for a delicious cocktail ingredient.
Check out these six unique cocktail recipes using Bundaberg Ginger Beer submitted from top mixologists that give the Moscow Mule a run for its money!
Primate Mindstate
By Alec Vlastnik, Spoonbar, San Francisco
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. House-Spiced rum*
- 1/2 oz. Giffard Banane du Bresil
- 1/4 oz. Banana Shrub**
- 1/4 oz. Peanut Orgeat
- 1/2 oz. Egg Whites
- 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
- Top Off with Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Preparation: Add all ingredients into shaker, shake lightly, add Bundaberg Ginger Beer, stir, and pour.
*House-Spiced Rum
To a 750ml bottle of El Dorado 8 year rum add 1 whole nutmeg, broken into pieces, 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces, 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, 2 whole cloves, 1 cardamom pod, 4 black peppercorns, 1 star anise, 3 allspice berries, 1 large navel orange peel.
**Banana shrub
Ingredients:
- 1 qt. Blended Banana
- 1 qt. Brown Sugar
- 1 qt. Champagne Vinegar
Preparation: Cook banana and brown sugar together on low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Refrigerate over night. Strain through chinois.
Alec Vlastnik
Spoonbar, San Francisco
“A few years ago I started making my own ginger beer, and during the process, I tasted every commercial ginger beer I could find as research. Bundaberg was my favorite to mix with. It strikes a beautiful balance by presenting good solid, spicy ginger flavor without over powering the other aspects of a cocktail. In other words, it plays really well with others.”
Within the White Night
By Alicia Walton, The Sea Star, San Francisco
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. St. George Vodka
- 3/4 oz. Giffard Passion Fruit Liqueur
- 3/4 oz. Carpano Bianco Vermouth
- 1/2 oz. Lime Juice
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- 1 dash El Guapo Polynesian Kiss Bitters
- Bundaberg Ginger Beer
- Fanned Lime (for Garnish)
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a tin and shake. Fine strain over fresh ice, and top with Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Garnish with fanned lime.
Alicia Walton
The Sea Star, San Francisco
“I wanted to complement the herbal, peppery notes and fresh fruit characteristics of the Bundaberg Ginger Beer. By using bianco vermouth and passion fruit liqueur, I was able to pull out these flavors while still showcasing the Bundaberg Brew. A dash of Polynesian Kiss Bitters from El Guapo helped accent both of these qualities quite well. The result is a fresh, easy-drinking Mule, perfect for a warm day at the beach!”
Backwards in Heels
By Jenn Harvey, Temple Bar, Boston
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Angostura 5 Year Old Rum
- 1/2 oz. Giffard Lichi-Li Liqueur
- 1/4 oz. KRONAN Swedish Punsch
- 1/4 oz. Lime Juice
- 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
- 1 oz. Bundaberg Ginger Beer
- Cherry (for Garnish)
- Lime Swath (for Garnish)
Preparation: In a shaker with ice, combine ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Top with 1 oz. Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Garnish with a cherry and lime swath.
Jenn Harvey
Temple Bar, Boston
“When I sip ginger beer, I feel like it almost dances on my tongue so I created this cocktail to be like a dance. The name refers back to Ginger Rogers and how even though Fred Astaire was a more acclaimed dancer, she must’ve been better because she did everything he did but backwards and in heels. It’s light and entertaining with layers of flavor.”
Albatross
By Jared Sadoian, The Hawthorne, Boston
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Plantation 5 Year Barbados
- Grande Reserve
- 3/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz. Honey Syrup (1:1 Wildflower Honey and Water)
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
- 4 oz. Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Preparation: Combine all ingredients except Ginger Beer to a mixing glass. Add ice and briefly shake just to combine and chill. Fine strain into an 8 oz. champagne flute. Top cocktail with 4 oz. Bundaberg Ginger Beer.
Jared Sadoian
The Hawthorne, Boston
“Many beverages are produced quickly and thoughtlessly in the name of efficiency and the bottom line. It’s refreshing to see that Bundaberg’s brewed Ginger Beer holds true to a time-honored process 50 plus years in the making.”
Tasmanian Revels
By Zach McGrath, Sunset Tower Hotel, Los Angeles
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Sullivans Cove Single Malt Tasmanian Whisky
- 1 bottle Bundaberg Ginger Beer
- 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz. Sugarcane Syrup
- 1/4 oz. Allspice Dram
- Angostura Bitters (for Garnish)
Preparation: Combine all ingredients except the Ginger Beer in a shaker tin. Whip shake and pour into a large tumbler over crushed ice. Flip and rip the Bundaberg bottle into the tumbler, top with more crushed ice and Angostura Bitters, and sip!
Zach McGrath
Sunset Tower Hotel, Los Angeles
“While perusing the Bundaberg website, I became fascinated with the Fleming family story. Going from a small local company to an internationally distributed business while keeaping it all in the family seemed like a wonderful accomplishment, and I wanted to honor that.”
Secret Garden
By Katie Emmerson, Gwen, Los Angeles
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Mulholland Distilling Vodka
- 1 oz. Fresh Beet Juice
- 1/2 oz. Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz. Honey Syrup*
- pinch of Tajin Seasoning
- 2 oz. Bundaberg
- Ginger Beer
- Fresh Herbs (for Garnish)
Preparation: Shake, strain into a tall glass. Top with Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with fresh herbs. *Honey syrup: 3:1 (honey, hot water) stir until dissolved (Katie uses a local wildflower honey).
Katie Emmerson
Gwen, Los Angeles
“Bundaberg’s Ginger Beer is great. There’s zest and spice, tasting the real ginger, plus this earthiness that I really love. Drinking it on its own with a little squeeze of lime sounds like a solid option as well. Lately, I’ve been inspired by my garden, the flowers, fruits, vegetables, bees, butterflies, everything, so I wanted something bright and floral, but also somehow nourishing to pair with the spicy and earthy Ginger Beer.”