What Brand of Ginger Water Makes the Best Americano? Which Ginger Water Does Manner Use for Their Ginger Americanos?

The Rise of the Dry Ginger Americano

Recently, FrontStreet Coffee noticed a unique drink gaining popularity in the coffee community, and it is quite interesting: the "Dry Ginger Americano," made with dry ginger water (sparkling water).

Dry ginger water is a carbonated water with dry ginger flavor. It combines the distinctive spiciness of dry ginger with the refreshing sensation of sparkling water, and it is also known as ginger ale. In the mixology world, dry ginger water is one of the three most popular sodas bartenders reach for.

When the well-known coffee chain Manner launched a Dry Ginger Americano made with dry ginger water and espresso, the drink immediately drew widespread attention and won countless fans. Although it launched some time ago, it is not hard to notice a recent uptick in posts sharing how to make Dry Ginger Americanos at home. Naturally, FrontStreet Coffee wanted to taste it, so we opened a search to see which brand of dry ginger water makes the best version. We found that, regardless of brand, the resulting Americanos got polarized reviews: some people loved them, others found them unacceptable. To settle the question, FrontStreet Coffee bought three popular, readily available dry ginger water brands to test: Schweppes, Watsons and Bundaberg, at roughly 2.1, 2.8 and 14 per can respectively. (Watsons on the left, Schweppes in the middle, Bundaberg on the right.)

Tasting the Dry Ginger Waters

Looking at the ingredient lists, there are no significant differences; they are all made from similar ingredients. But just like coffee, different combinations, proportions and production processes create completely different changes in taste and texture. So FrontStreet Coffee will first taste the dry ginger waters on their own to understand the differences in texture, aroma and flavor, then use them in coffee to see which has the highest compatibility with coffee.

First up is Schweppes. As you can see above, Schweppes dry ginger water (middle) is the clearest of the three. In terms of aroma, its ginger flavor is the weakest, not very prominent. But it has high sweetness and tastes somewhat similar to Sprite, and because it is abundantly carbonated, the texture is quite refreshing with some bite.

Next is Watsons dry ginger water (left). It has an overall yellowish color with moderate clarity. Watsons has the most intense aroma of the three, with a very prominent ginger flavor, and you can clearly feel the spicy sensation of dry ginger when drinking it. But its sweetness is the lowest of the three, and it has even more bubbles than Schweppes, making it very fizzy and stimulating to drink.

Finally there is Bundaberg dry ginger water (right). Although its liquid has the lowest clarity of the three, it has excellent balance. Its ginger flavor is stronger than Schweppes but milder than Watsons; its sweetness is higher than Watsons but lower than Schweppes. In texture, it does not have as much bubble sensation as the first two, so it drinks very smoothly and is quite rich. It can be called a very balanced dry ginger water in every respect.

As you can see, each has its own strengths. Schweppes has the highest sweetness, Watsons the strongest ginger flavor, and Bundaberg the most balance. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will add espresso to see how they perform as Dry Ginger Americanos.

Testing with Espresso

In this comparison of Dry Ginger Americanos, FrontStreet Coffee will run two sets of tests. One set uses the medium-dark roast "Warm Sun Blend" currently used in our stores, while the other uses the relatively lighter roast "Floral Queen." The proportions are identical in all cases at 1:4 (one part espresso, four parts dry ginger water).

First, our first evaluation. The Warm Sun Blend presents flavors of whiskey, butter cookies and berries. FrontStreet Coffee's extraction parameters for it are 20g of coffee grounds, a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, extracted over 30 seconds. To avoid waste from not finishing it all, FrontStreet Coffee uses only 20ml of espresso for the drink. Following the 1:4 ratio, 80ml of dry ginger water is needed.

Results with Medium-Dark Roast

Schweppes Dry Ginger Americano: After tasting all three, the Schweppes version is the sweetest. After adding coffee, its ginger flavor becomes even less noticeable and the coffee flavor is diminished too; FrontStreet Coffee could only catch a hint of chocolate. It is more about the sweetness and bubble sensation of the dry ginger water.

Watsons Dry Ginger Americano: The Watsons version has a very rich flavor, the strongest of the three. This richness refers not only to the ginger flavor of the dry ginger water but also to the very prominent coffee flavors, with chocolate, whiskey and caramel notes. However, its sweetness is relatively low, and because it has more bubbles it tastes slightly stimulating and somewhat "bitter" to those who do not drink bitter coffee.

Bundaberg Dry Ginger Americano: The Bundaberg version stays balanced. It does not have overly prominent sweetness, and its ginger flavor and coffee flavor are well matched, neither bitter nor weak, very gentle. The texture is similarly smooth and rich. FrontStreet Coffee therefore believes its audience will be broader, because everything sits in a just-right state.

Testing with Light Roast

The above is the evaluation of Dry Ginger Americanos made with medium-dark roast beans. Had FrontStreet Coffee used even darker beans, we believe the coffee flavor and bitterness would have been even more prominent. Everyone can adjust the ratio to their own preference; here FrontStreet Coffee is simply running a comparison. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will use the lighter roast "Floral Queen" to see what delicious flavors emerge from the collision of light roast coffee and dry ginger water.

Because "Floral Queen" is roasted significantly lighter than "Warm Sun," extraction takes slightly longer, with parameters as follows: 20g of coffee grounds, 35 seconds, 40ml liquid weight. The ratio of coffee to dry ginger water remains 1:4.

The overall performance of the three cups is not much different from the previous ones, so FrontStreet Coffee will not elaborate further here. Compared with the medium-dark roast version, however, the light roast coffee has less bitterness and less richness, so the coffee flavor's expression in the whole Americano is relatively weaker, and the proportion of dry ginger water could be reduced slightly. But because light roast coffee has more acidity, that acidity adds excellent layered complexity to the Dry Ginger Americano, making it far more acceptable than the medium-dark version and much more like a fruit-flavored ginger ale.

Conclusion and Recommendations

In summary, since each brand of dry ginger water has different and quite distinct characteristics, which one suits a Dry Ginger Americano best depends on your own taste preferences.

If you prefer a Dry Ginger Americano with higher sweetness, where the coffee and ginger flavors are not too strong or intense, then Schweppes is the better choice. If you prefer a more stimulating texture with stronger ginger and coffee flavors and not too much sweetness, then Watsons is the better choice. And if you prefer something just right, where the flavor is neither too strong nor too weak, the texture is not very stimulating, and the sweetness is moderate, then Bundaberg is the better choice, although its price is a factor you will have to weigh for yourself.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To brew a Dry Ginger Americano with real character, start with the espresso. FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is a traditional Italian-style recipe built from Indonesian Mandailing, Brazilian Red Bourbon and washed Vietnamese beans: low-acid, full-bodied and herbal-woody from the Asian component, balanced and creamy from the American one. It extracts into butter, nut, spice and dark chocolate aromas, and whether you make an Americano or a latte, its wild character and abundant crema are the blend's calling card.

For an approachable everyday option, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Basic Blend pairs Yunnan small-bean with Brazilian Cerrado, giving an Americano nut, chocolate and cream aromas with a ripe plum acidity and a soft, gentle body at a very friendly price; it is equally suitable for a home setup or a café. And if you want something sweeter and lighter, our Strawberry Candy espresso blend combines beans from Colombia, Costa Rica and Ethiopia across washed, natural and honey processes, so that beyond its rose notes it stays low in bitterness with just a touch of acidity, bringing grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange and fruit-candy flavors to both Americanos and lattes, with a distinctive almond finish.