What's the Difference Between Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale?

Ginger beer and ginger ale are frequently used interchangeably by casual drinkers, but the two products are meaningfully different, and the distinction matters most in one very specific classic cocktail.

Ginger Ale

Ginger ale is a lightly carbonated soft drink with a mild, sweet ginger flavor — closer in intensity to a standard soda than a genuinely spicy ginger product. It's typically made by carbonating water and adding ginger flavoring along with sugar, without any fermentation involved in most modern commercial versions.

Ginger Beer

Ginger beer, despite the name, is not necessarily alcoholic in its modern commercial form (most widely available ginger beer today is non-alcoholic) — but it delivers a considerably more intense, spicy ginger flavor than ginger ale, often with a fuller body and less sweetness. Traditionally, ginger beer was fermented (hence "beer" in the name), and some artisanal versions still use a genuine fermentation process, though most mass-market ginger beer today is simply brewed for flavor rather than through actual fermentation.

Why the Distinction Matters for Cocktails

The Moscow Mule and Dark 'n' Stormy both specifically call for ginger beer, not ginger ale — the drinks are built around ginger beer's much stronger, spicier kick standing up against vodka or dark rum. Substituting the milder ginger ale produces a noticeably flatter, less interesting drink that lacks the genuine ginger punch these cocktails are built around.

When Ginger Ale Is the Right Choice

Ginger ale's milder sweetness works better in drinks where you want a gentler, more background ginger note rather than an assertive spice component, or simply as a standalone soft drink where ginger beer's intensity would be unwelcome.

The Bottom Line

If a cocktail recipe specifically calls for ginger beer, don't substitute ginger ale — the flavor gap is large enough that it genuinely changes the drink, not just a minor quality difference. Keep both on hand separately if you make both ginger ale-appropriate and ginger beer-appropriate drinks regularly.