Gin Rickey
3.8 82 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a fizz or highball (8oz to 10oz)
Prepare
- 1 Select and pre-chill a FIZZ OR HIGHBALL (8OZ TO 10OZ) GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of length of lime peel.
Method
- 3 SHAKE first 3 ingredients with ice.
- 4 STRAIN into ice-filled glass.
- 5 TOP with soda.
Garnish
- 6 Garnish with long string or ribbon of lime peel.
Flavour profile
16.0% alc./vol. · 1 standard drink · 134 calories
History
This cocktail is clean, sharp, and refreshing. It is recommended not to serve it in a Collins glass, but rather as "a short drink served long" in a 10oz Highball or Fizz glass.
Rickeys are a family of cocktails believed to have originated with bartender George A. Williamson in 1880 at Shoemaker's Bar in Washington DC. They are named after Colonel Joseph Kyle Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist whom Williamson reportedly saw squeeze lime into his whisky before topping his drink with soda. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Colonel Rickey purchased the bar in 1883 and became a significant importer of limes into the US. The Gin Rickey cocktail first appeared in print in Harry Johnson's 1900 Bartenders Manual, which calls for "1 wine glass of Tom or Holland gin if required." Gin Rickey (Use a medium size glass.) 1 or 2 pieces of ice; Squeeze the juice of 1 good-sized lime or 2 small ones; 1 wine glass of Tom or Holland gin if required; Fill up the glass with club soda, carbonic or selters if required, and swerve with a spoon. Many people confuse the Rickey and the Collins. To clarify, a Rickey is made with lime juice, while a Collins uses lemon juice. A Rickey is also typically served in a shorter glass than a Collins, though this distinction is less important.
Created by George A. Williamson