December 25, 2019
Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Beer | A Review
Charles Rolls and Tim Warrilow created the London-based Fever-Tree in 2004 on the premise of developing the absolute best mixers possible. The two travelled the world sourcing ingredients, selecting only the finest and most interesting for their products. This worldwide investment established a new niche above the handful of ancient and established brands who had dominated the market for years. Fever-Tree’s bold mantra is this: “If three-quarters of your drink is mixer, mix with the best.”
Quite a brag it is but a hollow one it is not. Dozens of awards followed and their tonic water stands as the top selling brand. Fever-Tree’s availability spans more than 70 countries and it almost certainly adorns a shelf in a nearby grocery. For them the success has rained down in sheets.
The bottle suits the mission. With a curvy, elegant silhouette, the 16.9 ounce (500ml) glass container sports an embossed fever tree and attractive labelling with a metallic finish. The logotype feels a bit mundane and the font choice below it the same. On the neck label, the logo’s tree is printed over the logo’s tree, which looks messy and seems unnecessary. The total effect presents as upscale but better packaging exists.
Within live 100 calories per 8oz serving, translating to 150 for 12. Carbonated spring water makes up the base layer, sweetness blooms from real sugar and on top of that it touts natural ginger flavoring as well as actual fresh ginger. The ginger used arrives from three different, far-reaching origins. Ivory Coast contributes one, Nigeria the second and the third grows in India. Each rides a slightly different spectrum of flavor which Fever-Tree claims compliments each other perfectly. No preservatives are present.
The enchanting scent of fresh ginger bursts from the bottle upon opening. Nested in a glass, spiciness entwines for a heavenly nose. There’s sugar too, subdued. Moderate carbonation permeates a liquid given a frosted glass appearance by the powder of fresh ginger softly drifting within.
A reserved sweetness blankets the tongue a moment before a satisfying dousing of fresh, earthy ginger. Prickles play about in the mouth and tickle the nose. Botanical notes arrive as the prickles travel back in the mouth and touch the top of the throat, offering a spicy finish. The ginger taste holds for an extended portion of the progression, remarkably long. Heat rests upon the tongue in its wake, a lasting token of the experience.
Like an orchestra, elements each lay down their parts, harmonizing into a symphony of flavor. Notes come from everywhere in a sublime complexity, assembling into a sophisticated ginger beer, both exotic and accessible.
The objective at the outset was to create the best mixers ever made and it’s hard to imagine a ginger beer better than this one. It ticks every box and creates several more. It holds the perfect balance of sweet and heat and the ginger tastes freshly grated off the root. It’s spectacular. It’s perfect. It’s everything a ginger beer aspires to be.
Final Decision: God Tier – Untouchable
Purchased locally at: HEB
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