Gin Rickey（ジン・リッキー）
Gin, lime, soda, nothing else — Washington's zero-sugar answer to the summer heat.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| Gin | 60 ml |
| Fresh lime juice | 15 ml |
| Soda water | 90 ml |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
4 : 1 : 6
- 01
Fill a highball glass with ice.
- 02
Squeeze half a lime over the ice, drop it in if you like.
- 03
Add gin, top with soda, stir once.
Garnish — Lime wedge · or spent lime shell
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 25Light
- Sourness*
- 67Strong
- Bitterness
- 25Light
- Fruitiness
- 30Light
- Herbal*
- 0Faint
- Alcohol
- 32Light
- Crisp
- 68Strong
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
Washington DC, 1880s. Colonel Joe Rickey — lobbyist, gambler, newspaper columnist — took his whiskey with lime and soda at Shoomaker's bar on 14th Street. Bartender George Williamson put it on the card and the town followed.
The gin version followed quickly and outlived the bourbon original (both exist; gin won). The Rickey's real invention is structural: it proved a cocktail could be complete at two ingredients plus water.
It was essentially the proto-highball — decades before the word 'highball' became a category, here was the formula stripped bare.
Origin contested — the entry keeps verified record and received legend distinct.
Sources — Boothby (1891) · Difford's Guide · Wondrich, Imbibe! (2007)
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- Boothby's World Drinks
William T. Boothby · 1891 · Book · unverified
- 1 wineglass of gin
- Half a lime, squeezed
- Soda to fill
Build over ice.
Early printed spec — sugar-free from the start.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
- OriginBourbon RickeyThe bourbon original — Washington's first order
- SimilarTom CollinsSugar + lemon — the sweetened version→
- Ingredient swapGin & TonicTonic instead of soda — the bitter version→
06The map
Ingredients
Spirits
