The Hands-Down Worst Fever-Tree Mixer For Your Cocktails

Watching a mixologist craft a cocktail from a bevvy of brightly colored squeeze bottles, spouted liquors and liqueurs, and a tray of citrus and herbs is an impressive feat yielding a complex, delicious cocktail. At home, let's be real, it's usually one spirit, one mixer, and a squeeze of lemon or lime. There is nothing wrong with a simple, homemade drink, but it highlights the importance of using a good mixer. Fever-Tree puts a lot of attention into sourcing top-quality ingredients, so we knew when we ranked 16 Fever-Tree mixers that we would find plenty of fantastic drinks. 

But we also found a few misses, and the worst was Blood Orange Ginger Beer. Though the color of the mixer was beautiful thanks to the vibrant red of blood oranges sourced from Italy, Blood Orange Ginger Beer was lacking in anything that tasted like orange. Instead, the drink was sharply gingery with a pronounced, unpleasant aftertaste, and the two aspects clashed instead of enhancing each other. The lack of balance between the two promised flavors, coupled with the odd, almost soapy flavor, left no doubt that this was the worst Fever-Tree mixer we tried.

Even though Blood Orange Ginger Beer wasn't good, Fever-Tree has plenty of more successful flavors. For other ginger-forward mixers, consider plain Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale, which ranked in the middle at numbers eight and seven, respectively. Both drinks are sweetened with sugar and feature three different types of ginger for layers of flavor that are zingy, fresh, and a little spicy. Ginger Beer is the bolder, more fiery choice and Ginger Ale is a little sweeter but still has a strong ginger flavor that separates it from other ginger ales that taste more like soda. 

Fever-Tree has other citrus mixers that feature lemon, grapefruit, or lime, but these also fell to the bottom of the ranking due to weak or confusing flavors. Margarita Mix was an exception. Landing at number five, it is tangy, bursting with lime, and perfectly sweet-tart. Fever-Tree recommends pairing it with tequila or mezcal, but it would also be delicious with vodka or seltzer for a non-alcoholic version. Though not citrus, it's hard to go wrong with Fever-Tree's Elderflower Tonic Water, which ranked number one. It's equal parts floral, fruity, and bitter, but it's not overwhelmingly sweet or intense, so it is also a versatile choice for your favorite spirit — and is even better with a squeeze of fresh citrus.