Simple Ginger Beer Mocktail With Mint And Lime
This Ginger Beer Mocktail recipe is a delicious blend of flavors, combining the zesty kick of ginger with the vibrant taste of pineapple, the freshness of mint and the sweetness of maple syrup. It’s a refreshing drink that’s perfect for your next party or special occasion.
In This Article
What Makes This Recipe So Good?
This flavorful ginger beer mocktail is based on a traditional Moscow mule however, it’s a non-alcoholic version and a great option for those looking to skip the vodka in the original. It’s a perfect drink to enjoy at celebrations or just on a hot day, and it’s an excellent thirst quencher that comes with plenty of health benefits.
Ginger is recognised for its anti-inflammatory properties and its use as a traditional pain reliever. It also has calming effects on the gut helping to reduce cramps and nausea associated with digestive upset. Pineapple contains bromelain, offering us even more anti-inflammatory benefits along with antioxidants, like vitamin C, contributing to its role in immune support. Besides functioning as a natural sweetener, the phenolic compounds in maple syrup enables it to serve various roles as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. The mint and apple cider vinegar, while only included in very small amounts are other great ingredients for the gut. The mint has calming effects while the apple cider vinegar acts as a digestive aid.
That said – to get these benefits I recommend looking for a naturally brewed/fermented or small-batch ginger beer. Many made at a commercial scale use ginger flavouring rather than actual ginger and you won’t reap the same nutrient rewards from those.
Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
I love a good cocktail as much as the next person but also love to have a selection of mocktail recipes up my sleeve. Sometimes you want the grown-up drink without the buzz and this delicious mocktail definitely delivers. As with the majority of my recipes, this one uses very simple ingredients you’ll find at your local grocery store.
- Ginger beer – Provides the base flavor with its zesty, spicy, and slightly sweet profile, adding depth and effervescence to the mocktail.
- Fresh lime juice – Offers a tangy and citrusy element, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall refreshing quality of the mocktail.
- Fresh mint leaves – Introduce a refreshing and aromatic note, lending a crispness to the drink while adding a hint of coolness to complement the other flavors.
- Fresh pineapple juice – Contributes a tropical sweetness and tanginess, giving the drink with fruity undertones that complement the zing of ginger beer.
- Apple cider vinegar – adds tanginess and depth while contributing a slightly sour note.
- Maple syrup – Many recipes use a simple syrup to balance cocktails however, we’re going for a more nourishing version.
- Brown sugar – this helps to balance the acidity of both the pineapple juice and lime juice.
Any of your favorite ginger beers are fine for this recipe but again, using a naturally brewed or small-batch variety will mean you get the best of the health benefits this combination of ingredients has to offer. You’ll also have a mocktail with a superior taste!
How To Make This Ginger Beer Mocktail
A good ginger beer will have quite a strong ginger flavor, which is well matched by the other ingredients in the recipe. While I’ve made this a pineapple ginger beer mocktail, several other fruit-based juices work well too making it the perfect alcohol-free drink to enjoy any time of year.
- Juice the pineapple if you’re using fresh. Half a cup was roughly one quarter of a small pineapple for me.
- Chop the ends off one of the limes and chop in half horizontally. Cut one half into quarters and put two chunks into each glass. Use the rest for decoration.
- Add the mint and brown sugar to each glass and crush lightly with a muddle or anything flat you have that will fit in the glass.
- Fill ¾ of each glass with crushed ice then pour over the pineapple juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.
- Top up with ginger beer, stir gently and serve with a piece of lime and a mint sprig.
Serving in a tall glass is just one way to enjoy this. You could make it extra fancy by serving in a copper mug and decorating the top with a small skewer holding a few fresh blackberries and a wedge of lime.
Substitutions And Variations
There are many varieties of ginger beer mocktails to enjoy. You’re not limited to having this only in the the warmer months when pineapple is abundant.
Different Flavour Combinations
Replace the pineapple juice with fresh, crisp apple juice for an apple ginger beer mocktail. This is particularly good during winter when the combination of apple and ginger is perfect. In this version, I leave out the mint because it’s really not needed.
Do you have a spice lover in your life? Replace the standard ginger beer with a spicy ginger beer variety that has been brewed with both ginger and chili. This is another version that goes equally well with pineapple or apple juice.
For something with slightly more sour notes, replace the pineapple juice with fresh grapefruit juice. This is delicious with honey as the sweetener or maple syrup.
Expert Hints And Tips
If you’d still like to enjoy this style of mocktail but a bubbly ginger beer just isn’t for you, try juicing fresh ginger root and mixing it with mineral water as your base instead. This is not something I’ve tried yet, but fresh ginger juice is stronger and spicier than ginger beer. As such I suggest starting with ¼ cup then following on with the rest of the recipe. You’d top up with mineral water instead of ginger beer.
Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead
This recipe isn’t suitable for freezing and I also don’t recommend making it in its entirety ahead of time. Combining the pineapple juice with the ginger beer affects the level of carbonation so make this just before serving.
If you do want to do anything in advance, juice the pineapple and the lime and store them in glass bottles or jars until you’re ready to use them.
FAQ
The difference lies in the way these two products are made. Ginger ale is a carbonated soda/soft drink usually made with ginger flavouring, artificial sweeteners, food acids, caramel colouring and preservatives. It’s generally milder than ginger beer too. In contrast, a good non-alcoholic ginger beer is brewed/fermented using ginger root, a sweetener and water, occasionally with added spices. This produces a drink that is naturally carbonated, less sweet with a more pronounced ginger flavour.
Yes! It’s important to note that the process of fermentation does produce some alcohol however, in this instance fermentation is controlled to prevent the alcohol content from rising above a negligible level. So negligible in fact it’s not listed on the nutrition panel.
Other Recipes To Serve At A Celebration
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Simple Ginger Beer Mocktail With Mint And Lime
Equipment
- 2 Tall glasses
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups ginger beer (see note 1)
- ½ cup fresh pineapple juice (see note 2)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup mint leaves (roughly 10 – 12 leaves)
- 1 tbsp lime juice (roughly 1.5 limes, use the other half of the second for decoration)
- 1 whole lime
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- Lots of crushed ice
Instructions
- Juice the pineapple if you're using fresh. Half a cup was roughly half a small pineapple for me.
- Chop the ends off the lime and chop in half horizontally. Chop one half into quarters and put two chunks into each glass. Use the rest for decoration.
- Add half the mint to each glass followed by half the brown sugar and half the lime juice. Gently crush with a muddle or any kitchen tool you have with a flat base that will fit into the glass.
- Fill each glass ¾ of the way with ice then pour over the pineapple juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup.
- Top the glasses up with ginger beer, stir everything gently to combine then serve with a piece of lime and a sprig of mint.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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