“Ginger beer has been called ketchup,” says Rob Krueger, meaning that it’s a dependably crowd-pleasing ingredient in the cocktail world. But that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Here, Krueger puts it alongside gin, cucumber, mint, and St-Germain—the original bartender’s ketchup. Variations on this drink have long been Krueger’s answer to requests for a refreshing gin or vodka drink that’s not too sweet or might have cucumber, etc. He mentioned this to a guest one night, to which she responded,“Oh, so it’s your go-to?”inspiring the cocktail’s name.
Reprinted with permission from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes, Edited by Megan Krigbaum copyright 2017. Photographs by Daniel Krieger