The “Rickey” family of cooling drinks arrived in the late nineteenth century, first appearing at Shoemaker’s in Washington, D.C., named after the bar’s owner, Democratic lobbyist and former Confederate colonel Joe Rickey. Initial efforts favored bourbon, but by its first appearance in a drinks manual—Daly’s Bartenders’ Encyclopedia of 1903—gin had been slotted into the carbonated drink. Gin remains the preferred spirit in this refreshing, sugar-free cocktail, and Plymouth Gin pairs particularly well with the half ounce of lime juice.
Gin Rickey
A dry gin cocktail whose first appearance in a drinks manual dates to 1903.
