Ginger Ale
A light, mildly ginger-spiced carbonated soft drink, used in highballs like the Whiskey Ginger.
Origin
Ireland, where the golden style associated with modern ginger ale was developed by John McLaughlin in Belfast, later refined into "pale dry" ginger ale by Canadian pharmacist John J. McLaughlin in Toronto in 1904.
History
Ginger ale as a category emerged in the 19th century, but the lighter, drier "pale dry" style familiar today (as opposed to a darker, spicier golden ginger ale) was developed in 1904 by Canadian pharmacist John J. McLaughlin, whose company eventually became Canada Dry. Its mild, clean ginger flavor and gentle carbonation made it a natural highball mixer, most famously in the whiskey-and-ginger-ale highball, milder and less aggressively spicy than the ginger beer used in a Moscow Mule.
Flavor profile
Light, mildly spiced ginger flavor with gentle sweetness and soft carbonation.
Tasting notes
A subtle, easy-drinking ginger warmth without the sharp bite of ginger beer, making it a gentler highball mixer that lets the base spirit come through more than a spicier, more assertive ginger beer would.
Substitutes
- Ginger beer, for a spicier, more intensely ginger-forward substitute (also more carbonated).
- A different ginger ale brand, since the pale dry style is fairly standardized across producers.
- Club soda with a splash of ginger syrup, as a homemade approximation.
