Cablegram
Rye, lemon, sugar and ginger ale over ice. A 1900s whiskey highball named for the telegraph — a John Collins with ginger ale, and better than it has any reason to be.
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.
Add the rye, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake briefly.
Strain into the glass over the ice and top with cold ginger ale.
Stir once and garnish with a lemon wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Ginger ale is the 1900s mixer and makes the gentler drink; ginger beer makes a Kentucky Mule with lemon. Both are good.
- Keep the syrup low; ginger ale is sweet.
- A high-proof rye stands up to the mixer.
Common mistakes
- Too much ginger ale; three ounces is a top.
- Skipping the shake; the sugar does not dissolve in a built drink.
- Bourbon by habit; the rye's spice is the point.
A few good questions.
What is a Cablegram?
Rye, lemon, sugar and ginger ale over ice — a whiskey sour lengthened with ginger ale, from the 1900s.
How is it different from a Horse's Neck?
The Horse's Neck is whiskey and ginger ale with a long lemon peel and no juice; the Cablegram adds lemon juice and sugar.
Why the name?
For the transatlantic cable and the cablegram, the fast message of the era. Nobody recorded who named it.
Ginger ale or ginger beer?
Ginger ale is the original; ginger beer makes it spicier and closer to a Mule.
Variations
- John Collins — Bourbon, lemon, sugar and soda.
- Kentucky Mule — Bourbon, lime and ginger beer.
- Whiskey Sour — Rye, lemon and sugar.
- Whiskey Mac — Scotch and ginger wine.
Where it comes from
c. 1900s · United States
The Cablegram belongs to the first years of the twentieth century, when the transatlantic cable was the marvel of the age and bartenders named drinks after it; it is a whiskey sour lengthened with ginger ale, in the same family as the Horse’s Neck and the Mamie Taylor. It appears in bar books of the 1910s and in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 without a creator. The rye’s spice and the ginger ale’s sweetness suit each other, the lemon keeps them honest, and the drink is a reminder that ginger ale was once the mixer of choice for American whiskey.
Sources
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Cablegram, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.5 US standard drinks at an estimated 12.5% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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