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The Gin Rickey cocktail is a classic gin drink that’s simple, light and refreshing. It’s a perfectly balanced, sugar-free cocktail recipe with just three ingredients: gin, lime juice and club soda. I enjoy this easy gin cocktail year-round, but it would also make a great NYE cocktail to toast the end of 2020, and I’m sure we’re all ready to do that! The Gin Rickey doesn’t require special tools or fancy liqueurs, so it won’t break the bank for your New Year’s-at-home festivities.

This cocktail would be a fun addition to a 1920s dinner party. In fact, for all the champagne-popping associated with Gatsby-themed parties, the Gin Rickey is the only mixed drink mentioned in F. Scott Fitgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby.

During what Nick Carraway calls a “broiling” summer day, he and Jay Gatsby venture to the Buchanan home for an awkward gathering. Daisy asks Tom to make the group some cold drinks and he returns, “preceding four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice. Gatsby took up his drink. ‘They certainly look cool,’ he said, with visible tension. We drank in long greedy swallows.”

Who created the Gin Rickey?

The Gin Rickey was invented in the early 19th century in Washington, D.C. and is named after the Democratic lobbyist Joe Rickey—Rickey was also a Confederate army veteran, but we won’t get into the politics of it. Rickey’s drink of choice was bourbon with carbonated water, and one day during an outing at Shoomaker’s bar, he asked the bartender (who may have been named George Williamson) to add some lime; thus, the Bourbon Rickey was created. Over time, the drink evolved to meet to the preferences of other bar patrons, and the Gin Rickey surpassed the bourbon version in popularity.

How to make a Gin Rickey cocktail

The Gin Rickey is a stirred cocktail with three main ingredients: gin, fresh lime juice and club soda. If you prefer sweeter drinks, you can add simple syrup. I think the tart lime juice pairs well with botanical gin and there’s no need for the added sugar. The Gin Rickey is served in a highball glass over ice and garnished with lime.

Curious to find out exactly how the Gin Rickey was prepared during its heyday, I did some research and discovered the May 27, 1946 issue of Life magazine ran a feature titled, “LIQUOR: Current Studies in Medicine and Psychiatry Are Bringing Enlightenment to the 30,000-Year-Old Problem of Drinking” by Francis Sill Wickware. The feature included the articles “How Alcohol Affects the Body,” “How Liquor is Produced,” “Famous American Bars” and “How 30 Favorite Drinks Are Made.” In the roundup of drink recipes was an image of a Gin Rickey with these instructions: “Juice and rind of 1/2 lime / Cubes of ice / 1 jigger of gin / Fill with club soda.”

I don’t know what people considered 1 jigger in 1946, since today the standard two-sided jigger measures for both 1 ounce and 2 ounces. However, after studying several modern recipes it seems that 2 ounces of gin is typical for a Gin Rickey. Additionally, I opt not to throw the whole lime rind in the glass as suggested, but to garnish with lime wheels instead.

Here’s how to make the classic gin drink at home:

Supplies needed to make a Gin Rickey

This cocktail is easy to make and requires just a few standard bar tools. The Gin Rickey is stirred, not shaken, so you don’t even need a cocktail shaker. These tools will help you make the drink quickly and easily:

• Highball glass – Build your Gin Rickey in a highball glass, which is a tall, slender glass. Look for glasses that hold around 12 ounces.
• Cocktail jigger – This is one of the most useful tools that every home bar should have. You’ll use it to measure the gin for this Gin Rickey recipe.
• Bar spoon – Use a bar spoon, which has a long handle, to stir this mixed drink. If you don’t have a bar spoon, any spoon, or even a straw, will work.
• Cutting board – A small cutting board comes in handy for prepping garnishes for cocktails.
• Paring Knife – You’ll need a knife to cut the lime for garnishing the drink. Lime wedges work but I like the way lime wheels look in the glass.
• Large ice cube mold – Regular ice will do, but large, square cubes add a special touch to cocktails at home. Just make sure to get a size that will fit in your highball glasses.
• Straws – If you don’t have a bar spoon, you can use a straw to stir the drink. These reusable stainless steel metal straws are a more eco-friendly alternative to plastic ones and sturdy enough to stir drinks.

Ingredients in a Gin Rickey

The beauty of this drink is in its simplicity. To make this classic cocktail cocktail, you’ll need just three ingredients and some ice.

• Gin – This drink is great for gin lovers because the clean ingredients allow the flavor of the gin to stand out. I suggest a quality gin for the best tasting drink. Two of my favorite gins are Sutler’s Gin and Hendrick’s Gin.
• Limes – Lime juice adds refreshing flavor to this classic gin drink. Always use fresh lime juice from limes, never bottled lime juice concentrate. You’ll use half a lime for one drink and you’ll need part of a lime to cut wheels for garnish. I like adding lime wheels to the side of the glass as I fill it with ice.
• Club soda or sparkling water – Using club soda instead of tonic water makes this a low-carb cocktail. I use sparkling water like S. Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water or cans of Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water for cocktails, but any kind of carbonated water will do. The fizz makes the Gin Rickey extra refreshing.

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Gin Rickey cocktail recipe

Bid adieu to 2020 with a Gin Rickey cocktail, best enjoyed in long greedy swallows. Cheers!

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Visit my post on how to throw a Great Gatsby dinner party for more 1920s party ideas.