Gin Rickey
Gin, half a lime and soda over ice, no sugar. The 1880s Washington drink that is the driest highball in the book and the best thing for a hot afternoon.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Squeeze half a lime into the glass and drop the shell in.
Add the gin and top with cold soda water.
Stir once and serve.
A thoughtful finish
- No sugar. That is the definition of a Rickey, and what makes it the driest and most refreshing of the gin highballs. If you want sugar, you want a Collins.
- Drop the spent lime shell in: the oils from the peel are part of the flavour.
- Hard, clear ice and very cold soda. With no sugar, the drink has nothing but cold and fizz to recommend it, so give it both.
Common mistakes
- Adding syrup. It becomes a Collins, and a sour-ish one.
- Lemon instead of lime. A lemon Rickey exists but is not the drink.
- A soft gin. The dryness wants juniper.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Rickey and a Collins?
Sugar. A Collins is gin, lemon, sugar and soda; a Rickey is gin, lime and soda with no sugar at all. The Rickey is drier and uses lime.
Can I make it with other spirits?
Yes — the original was a bourbon Rickey, and rum, vodka and tequila Rickeys all work. Gin is the classic.
How is it different from a Gin and Tonic?
Soda in place of tonic, so no quinine bitterness and no sugar, and lime juice squeezed in rather than a wedge on the rim. It is drier and lighter.
Who was Joe Rickey?
A Missouri-born lobbyist and political fixer in 1880s Washington, who drank the bourbon version at Shoomaker's and gave it his name.
Variations
- Tom Collins — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda.
- Gin and Tonic — Gin and tonic water.
- Mojito — Rum, lime, sugar, mint and soda.
- Ranch Water — Tequila, lime and mineral water.
Where it comes from
1883; gin version c. 1890s · Washington, D.C. · Colonel Joe Rickey (namesake); George Williamson (bartender) · Shoomaker's
Colonel Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist, drank his bourbon with lime and soda at Shoomaker’s bar in Washington in the early 1880s, and the bartender George Williamson is credited with the mix; the Rickey was named for the Colonel around 1883 and was a bourbon drink first. The gin version took over by the 1890s, when gin was the fashionable spirit, and it is the one that survived — Scott Fitzgerald has it poured in The Great Gatsby. In 2011 the District of Columbia named the Rickey its official native cocktail. Rickey himself, who went on to sell limes and soda, reportedly resented being remembered for a drink.
Sources
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- George J. Kappeler, Modern American Drinks, 1895 (book)
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925 (novel)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 11.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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