Nobody will fault you for using basic mixers with your favorite spirits at home. Feel free to mix your Jack Daniel’s with a can of Coke. It’s a timeless drink that pairs the caramel, vanilla, corn, and oak sweetness of Old No. 7 with the effervescent, sweet flavor of cola. The same goes for the store-brand tonic that you pair with your favorite London dry Gin and a slice or two of lime to make a classic Gin & Tonic. And who can forget a simple, elegant Vodka Soda with pretty much any soda water you can find on the shelf at your local grocery store.
But if you’re ready to elevate your drinking experience, there’s a whole new world of premium mixers available to you. Which brings us to one important question. What exactly makes a mixer premium?
What Are Premium Mixers?
There’s a reason they’re called “premium” mixers. That added title is the most important part. It’s what differentiates them from the simple mixers you find at your local grocery store. Premium mixers are distinguished by their higher quality and, in some cases, artisanal aspects. They are made to add a new dimension to your drinks. Also, while your favorite root beer wasn’t made to be paired with bourbon, these mixers were specifically crafted to be used as cocktail ingredients. As Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel would say, these mixers crank your home mixology game up to “eleven.”
Instead of generic, synthetic mixers, many premium mixers are made with real fruit and vegetable juices, sugar cane, spices, herbals, botanicals, and other natural ingredients. Not only that, but premium mixers are also designed to be a welcome addition to your home, alongside your go-to shrubs, herbs, fruits, liqueurs, and spirits.
“Premium mixers have changed the game for simple cocktails. We’re talking about tonics and sodas made with real botanicals, cleaner sweeteners, and actual craft. They’re not an afterthought anymore; instead, they are an ingredient,” says Michael Hart, co-founder and Head Distiller at Gompers Distillery and Speakeasy in Redmond, Oregon.
Photo via Dirty Sue
A Change in the Mixer Landscape
The world of premium mixers is fairly new. It wasn’t always like this. There was a time, not long ago, when your only choice of mixers was whatever you could find on the shelves of your local supermarket.
“Twenty years ago, mixers were basically judged on two things: cheap and sweet,” says Eric “ET” Tecosky, founder of Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice. He should know a thing or two about mixers since he’s worked as a bartender in Los Angeles for more than twenty years, including fifteen years as bar manager at the famed Jones Hollywood.
He adds, “The category was full of high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and ingredients nobody actually wanted in a serious cocktail.”
But, as cocktail culture evolved, bartenders started asking a very simple question. Why are we pairing top-shelf spirits with bottom-shelf mixers?
“That changed everything,” Tecosky says. “Bartenders pushed the industry toward better ingredients and more authenticity, and consumers now expect it. That’s been great for Dirty Sue because we never chased ‘cheap.’ We built the brand around making the best possible product for cocktails.”
Why Are Premium Mixers So Popular?
Hart says there’s been a shift in consumer expectations for cocktail mixers. In essence, drinkers have had enough overly sweet, syrupy mixers that totally bulldoze whatever spirit you just spent your hard-earned money on.
“A premium tonic gets out of the way and lets the spirit do its job,” he says. “At our Speakeasy in Redmond, Oregon, we see it every day, someone pairs a premium tonic with Gompers Gin or Gompers Vodka, and their whole face changes. Suddenly, they’re tasting the spirit, not fighting through sugar to find it. Bold, clean, refreshing. You get what you pay for, and in this category, the price difference is small, but the experience difference is not.”
Premium mixers are a great choice for home mixologists because they enable you to make flavorful drinks at home.
“That’s the beauty of a great gin and tonic/soda or vodka tonic/soda,” says Hart. “No special skills, no fancy equipment. Just a quality spirit and a quality mixer. Same result every time. Premium mixers are actually a great gateway into appreciating craft spirits. When the mixer isn’t drowning everything out, people start noticing things. The botanicals. The finish. The craft. That’s the moment we live for.”
Photo via Q Mixers
Premium Mixers Worth Purchasing
The market for premium mixers has grown dramatically in recent years due to consumers’ needs for higher-quality, natural, flavorful products to pair with their whiskey, gin, tequila, or vodka. That means there is a lot to choose from.
Some of the best include:
All in all, if you’re looking for a well-made, premium mixer, first figure out the type of cocktail you’re hoping to make and then do your own research to find premium mixers available that would complement that drink instead of just grabbing any neon-colored, overly sweet nonsense from the “cocktail” section of your neighborhood grocery store.
