Ginger Beer for Grownups

Last night I was at Cornwall's in Kenmore Square to sample Crabbie's Ginger Beer, an adult beverage that is quite popular in the UK and is making inroads here.

It's made from a beer base that has ginger and spices steeped in it for several weeks, giving it a distinctive and satisfying flavor. It's not especially sweet, and can be enjoyed over ice with a twist of lime, or in cocktails.

We tasted Crabbie's on its own, and sampled three different drinks made with it: a Ginger Buck (made with gin), a Moscow Mule (vodka), and a Dark & Crabbie (Gosling's dark rum). I have never cared much for gin, and the vodka drink was all right, but the rum combination is a natural match for the ginger and spices in Crabbie's, and I could see this being quite a nice summer drink.

(Full disclosure: the drink samples were provided by the distributor, and we also ordered food, which we planned on paying for ourselves, but it turned out to be complimentary as well.)