Kombucha Cocktails That Actually Taste Good

Okay, we hear you — kombucha cocktails? Before you roll your eyes too hard, we, your resident cocktail experts, are going to extol the virtues of the fizzy fermented drink.

A popular, lightly fermented tea that is beverage of choice for hipsters, health nuts, and DIY-ers everywhere, kombucha is tangy, a little fizzy, and, when made right, delicious. (We're all about the brand Health-Ade, available nationally, which has a pleasant sweet-tart flavor that's not too aggressively funky. For this article we're sticking to their classic kombucha, but the ginger-lemon and cayenne? Yum.)

What's more, kombucha has so many characteristics that translate well to cocktails: acid (since it's quite tart), a little sugar, a little fizz, and that slight hint of fermented funk. Just add booze and you've got some mighty tasty cocktails. Here are three to try.

Easy: ‘Bucha Mule

Most drinkers are familiar with the Moscow Mule, a vodka-lime-ginger beer concoction often served in friendly copper mugs. Here, we're taking one fizzy, strongly-flavored beverage, kombucha, and swapping it in for another, the ginger beer. Using freshly cut ginger as the garnish brings the ginger flavor back in with no muddling required.

Intermediate: Gin, Campari, Kombucha

Light, slightly fizzy kombucha can stand up to some powerful flavors, like the one-two bitter punch of Campari and gin. The 'buch evens out the alcohol and adds a bright, fizzy character. Super easy to drink.

Instructions: In a tall glass with ice, combine 1 ounce of gin (use a good London Dry like Beefeater), 1 ounce of Campari, and 3 ounces of kombucha. Give a quick stir and add 2 ounces of club soda. Garnish with orange slices.

Advanced: Kombucha, Whiskey, Mint

Here's our kombucha-fied take on a lighter whiskey sour; the drink's sweet-tart character backs up the lemon juice and bourbon, while a big sprig of mint makes for a lovely aromatic garnish.

Instructions: In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon, 2 ounces of kombucha, 1/2 an ounce of lemon juice, and 1/2 an ounce of simple syrup. Shake until well-chilled, then strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a big sprig of mint.