A composite of a Buck and a Whiskey Smash, this ginger-laced bourbon drink is one of Brooklyn bartender Jay Zimmerman’s signatures. Instead of muddling the lemon wedges and mint leaves, he shakes the hell out of them along with a mix of bourbon and ginger juice and tops the drink with soda and Angostura bitters. If you don’t have access to fresh ginger juice, you can muddle several pieces of ginger with simple syrup to achieve a spicy bite. Just adjust the ginger ratio for more or less bite.
Poppa’s Pride
Jay Zimmerman, ba'sik | Brooklyn, NY
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce ginger juice, sweetened (see Editor's Note)
- 2 lemon wedges
- 5 mint leaves
- 2 ounces soda water
- 4-5 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: mint sprig
Directions
- Add bourbon, ginger juice, lemon wedges and mint to cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain into a highball or Collins glass over fresh ice.
- Top with soda water and Angostura bitters (don't be shy about the bitters).
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Editor's Note
Ba'sik uses three-parts ginger juice to one-part sugar for its sweetened ginger juice recipe. If you don't have access to fresh ginger juice, we recommend peeling and chopping a two-inch cube of fresh ginger and muddling well with 3/4 of an ounce of simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker before adding remaining ingredients.