Best Substitutes for Ginger

Out of Ginger? Here are the best alternatives that work in cocktail recipes.

Ginger — spirit used in cocktails

Original Ingredient

Ginger

Spirit Sharp, pungent nose with fiery rhizome heat and citrus brightness. Palate delivers spicy, warming bite with zesty freshness and peppery depth. Lingering, tingling warmth on the finish.

Recommended Substitutes

🔄

Ginger Beer

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

🔄

Ginger ale

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

🔄

Ginger Syrup

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

General Substitution Tips

  • Match the alcohol level: a 40% spirit needs a similarly strong replacement or adjust volume.
  • For liqueurs, dilute spirits + simple syrup can replicate sweetness and proof.
  • Citrus substitutions: lemon and lime are mostly interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio.
  • For bitters, Angostura is the most neutral substitute for most other aromatic bitters.