Dr Pepper is one of the most complex brands of soda on the market. It contains 23 flavors, and is said to even have juniper! Sound familiar? If you said, that’s just like a lot of gins...You’d be right!
Another thing gin and Dr. Pepper have in common is how the makers go to great lengths to guard their recipes. The Dr. Pepper recipe is top secret and rumored to be stored in two halves, each one in a safety deposit box in different Dallas banks.
But do those commonalities mean they make a good cocktail? Stick with me and you’ll find out how to turn it this combo from good to great!
Is Dr Pepper Good with Gin?
The short answer is yes, Dr Pepper and Gin are good together but there are ways to make it even better. Instead of just mixing the 2, we like to add one more spirit that will amp up and enhance the flavors they have in common.
That said, we can trust our taste buds to make 3 delicious gin and Dr Pepper recipes.
Based on the flavors this soda has in common with certain gins, my focus was to bring out the components of almond, licorice, and caramel for our three original Dr Pepper cocktails.
Let’s get into the recipes, but first…what gin should we be using?
Best Gin for Dr Pepper
It is best to stick to dry gin and Dr Pepper but we heartily recommend Old Tom Gin if you have it. It is naturally very malty and spicy and tends to taste like whiskey like if casked.
It’s no secret that Old Tom is a great gin for mixing with common sodas. That’s because it will give you a drink with deep, smoky, notes which will work with any of our upcoming Dr Pepper mixed drink recipes.
Now that you know the best gin to use with Dr. Pepper, let’s get into 3 additions that will make this combo even better.
#1 Add Amaretto To Drive Dr Pepper Nuts
Amaretto is a great way to enhance the almond notes we taste in Dr. Pepper.
- 1 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz Amaretto
- 2-3 oz Dr Pepper
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Maraschino Cherry
Fill an Old Fashioned glass with ice. Add gin, Amaretto, bitters and Dr Pepper. Stir to chill. Add Maraschino cherry to garnish.
#2 Use Peychaud’s Bitters To Marry the Cherry in Dr Pepper
Bitters are the salt and pepper of the cocktail world. We are not making the cocktail bitter here, we are actually teasing out flavors. Peychaud’s Creole Bitters will pull out the delicious cherry, clove and licorice notes we love in Dr Pepper.
- 2 oz Gin
- 6 oz Dr Pepper
- 2- dashes Peychaud’s Creole bitters
- lemon twist
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add gin, Dr Pepper and bitters. Stir gently. Add twist of lemon.
#3 Ginger Brings Out the Pepper in Dr Pepper
Nothing perks up a drink like citrus and ginger. We want big zesty and peppery flavors to fortify the gin and Dr. Pepper here in this mule style cocktail recipe.
- 2 oz Gin
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 4 oz Dr Pepper
- 2 tsp finely grated/muddled fresh ginger
- fresh lime
- candied ginger (optional)
In a cocktail mug or glass, add gin, ginger, lime juice and ice. Add Dr Pepper and stir gently to chill and combine. Garnish with lime wedge and optional candied ginger.
What Alcohol Goes with Dr Pepper
For me, I prefer gin and I happen to be a Pepper. Gin is complex and it doesn’t appeal to everyone and neither does Dr Pepper. So, if you love Dr Pepper, you’re probably looking for more intensity in a mixed drink than the popular Gin and Ginger.
Aside from gin, a lot of Dr Pepper mixed drink recipes also feature rum, vodka and sometimes whiskey. Often, they are quite simple and don’t require anything else. With 23 flavors in the mix, Dr Pepper causes quite a stir.
Final Notes
You might consider Dr Pepper the gin of sodas. There are a lot of flavors in that recipe, and it’s way more complex than root beer and gin. That means the taste won’t appeal to everyone.
I like the offbeat character of Dr Pepper for a mixed drink and don’t mind adding additional ingredients to intensify it. Sometimes, the most delicious cocktails are the ones where you can’t identify everything in them.
Just the same, Dr. Pepper mixed with Gin is a good drink even if nothing else is added. But, I rather enjoy testing the boundaries. The above recipes will make your Dr. Pepper and Gin that much better.
Head on back to our homepage to learn about the tastes of gin.
