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The Irish Whiskey Ginger: A Whiskey And Ginger Ale Cocktail That Packs A Punch

The Irish Whiskey Ginger: A Whiskey And Ginger Ale Cocktail That Packs A Punch

The Irish Whiskey Ginger is arguably the easiest to make of the many Irish cocktails.

Also known as an ‘Irish Buck’ or simply a ‘Whiskey and Ginger Ale’, this cocktail has just 3 ingredients and it boasts a lovely fresh and zingy flavour.

Below, you’ll find an easy, no-BS recipe for the Irish Whiskey Ginger that’s straightforward and easy-to-follow.

Some quick need-to-knows before making the Irish Whiskey Ginger

Whiskey and ginger ale cocktail

Photo via Shutterstock

So, although this is one of the easier-to-make Irish whiskey cocktails, take a moment to read the need-to-knows below, first, as it’ll make things that bit more straightforward:

1. Pick your ginger and whiskey carefully (it’ll impact the taste massively!)

Although you can go with one of the cheap Irish whiskey brands, we’d recommend a good, mid-range whiskey (we’ve used Dingle Whiskey in this recipe). Also, don’t skimp on the ginger ale – it makes up 60% of your drink, so pick a decent brand.

2. Variations of the recipe

You can play around with the ingredients below, if you like. In the past, I’ve tried it with spiced ginger and I’ve tried it with Old Jamaican ginger beer and both worked well.

3. Strength

The Whiskey and Ginger Ale recipe below creates a very easy-to-drink cocktail that’s sweet, fizzy and wonderfully refreshing. However, there’s a good shot of whiskey in it, so please do drink responsibly.

Irish Whiskey and Ginger Ale ingredients

Irish whiskey ginger ale

Photos via Shutterstock

One of the beauties of the Irish Whiskey and Ginger Ale cocktail is its simplicity. Here’s what you’ll need on hand to make it:

  1. 35.5ml of a good Irish whiskey, like Dingle
  2. premium ginger ale
  3. A fresh lime
  4. Ice
  5. A HiBall glass (if you have one)

How to make your Irish Whiskey Ginger

 

Step 1: Cool the glass with some ice

This step is optional, but it’s an excellent way to keep your drink cooler for longer. Simply fill your glass with some ice, place your hand over the top and swirl the ice around in the glass.

Do this for 15 – 20 seconds and your glass will be nice and chilly. Remove this ice and the water it left behind.

Step 2: Add fresh ice and whiskey

It’s now time to assemble your Irish Whiskey and Ginger Ale. Pop 3 – 4 cubes of ice into the glass and follow it up with 35.5ml of whiskey.

In our recipe, we’ve used Dingle, but you can use any Irish whiskey brands you have on hand (once they’re not peated!).

Step 3: Pour in your ginger ale

It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying a cheap ginger ale – you paid enough for the whiskey already, right?! Wrong! The ginger ale makes up around 60% of your drink, so buy a decent brand.

When you’re ready, pour it in and give it a stir. If you don’t want to garnish it, you can sip away at this point, but it’s step 4 that really makes this Irish Whiskey Ginger sing!

Step 4: Lime time (with a twist!)

Take your lime and roll it gently back-and-forth on a hard surface. This will release the juices. Then carefully cut two slices of lime. Take one of the slices and squeeze its juices into your glass.

You’ll then want to give it a gentle stir to allow the flavours to mingle. Use the other slice of lime to garnish the glass of your Irish Whiskey and Ginger Ale.

Discover more mighty Irish cocktails

Irish Margarita

Photos via Shutterstock

Looking to sip away on some other cocktails like the Irish Ginger? Here’s some of our most popular drink guides to hop into:

FAQs about our Ginger Ale and Whiskey cocktail

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What is the tastiest ginger ale and whiskey combo?’ to ‘Which whiskey ginger ale cocktail is the strongest?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

What ingredients make the best Irish whiskey and ginger ale?

In my opinion, a good brand of Irish whiskey, a premium ginger ale and a plump, fresh lime and ice are all you need.

How do you make the best ginger ale and whiskey cocktail?

Cool the glass, first, before dropping in ice, whiskey and the the ginger ale. The squeeze a slice of lemon into the glass and stir.

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