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Washington, D.C., United States · 1888

Gin Rickey

Also known as Rickey, Gin Ricky

A tall, bone-dry highball that lets the gin and lime do all the talking, topped off with fizzy soda water.

tartdrybotanicalfizzyrefreshingjunipercitrushighball

%

ABV

Difficulty

Gin Rickey

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip hits you with sharp lime and gin botanicals, backed by brisk carbonation. The middle is clean and slightly warming from the spirit. It finishes dry and crisp, leaving a lingering juniper and citrus bite.

Who will like it

For people who like tart, spirit-forward drinks with no sweetness and a lot of fizz.

When to drink

Drink this on a hot afternoon when you want something cold and bracing that won't weigh you down.

Ordering tip

Ask for it with a specific gin if you have a preference, since there's nothing to hide the spirit, and request extra lime if you like it extra sour.

Ice: CubedTemp: ColdCost: $2–$5Glass: HighballHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This is a stark, bracing drink with no sugar to soften the blow. The lime hits first with a sharp sourness, backed up by the piney, botanical punch of the gin. Carbonation scrubs the palate clean, leaving a dry, mineral finish that begs for another sip. It's simple and unadorned, built purely for refreshment.

Finish: The finish is short and dry, leaving a lingering tartness and a whisper of juniper.

Primary tastes

sourherbal

Secondary

bitterearthy

Aroma

juniperfresh lime peelmineral water
  • Bitternesslightly bitter

    The lime oils and gin botanicals give a faint bitter edge, but it's mostly tart.

  • Sournessquite sour

    Fresh lime juice provides a sharp, mouth-puckering tartness that defines the drink.

  • Strengthmoderate strength

    The gin stands out clearly but is stretched by the soda to a comfortable sipping ABV.

  • Refreshingextremely refreshing

    Cold ice, high carbonation, and sharp acidity make this a peak thirst-quencher.

  • Complexitylow complexity

    It's a straightforward three-ingredient build where what you see is what you get.

Recipe

Make it at home

Built · Highball · equal parts on Gin. London Dry recommended for a crisp, dry profile

Before you start

Make sure your club soda is well chilled and your highball glass is cold if you have room in the freezer.

Ingredients

  • GinBase SpiritLondon Dry recommended60ml
  • Fresh lime juiceJuice22ml
  • Club sodaSodaWell-chilledTop up
  • Lime shellGarnishThe squeezed lime half from juicing1 spent lime half

Garnish: Spent lime half

Tools

  • Jigger · Measuring

    To measure the gin and lime juice accurately

    At home: Measuring spoons or a small shot glass

  • Bar spoon · Mixing

    To gently mix the soda, gin, and lime without killing the bubbles

    At home: A long spoon or chopstick

  • Highball glass · Serving

    The serving vessel that holds the ice and liquid

    At home: Any tall glass

  • Citrus press · optional · Other

    To squeeze the lime efficiently

    At home: Squeeze by hand

Ingredients and tools to make Gin Rickey
Ingredients and tools

Steps

  1. 1

    Cut a fresh lime in half and squeeze 22ml (about three-quarters of an ounce) of juice directly into your highball glass. Drop the squeezed lime shell right into the glass — it adds a bit of extra oil and looks right for a Rickey.

    Step 1 — how to make Gin Rickey

    !Squeezing the lime over the ice, which makes the seeds fall in and the ice melt faster.

  2. 2

    Pour 60ml of gin over the lime juice and shell. The alcohol will start pulling the volatile oils out of the lime peel while you grab the ice.

    Step 2 — how to make Gin Rickey

    !Pouring the gin first and lime juice second, which means you can't adjust if you over-pour the juice.

  3. 3

    Fill the highball glass to the top with solid ice cubes, all the way to the rim. The more ice you pack in, the slower it melts and the colder your drink stays.

    Step 3 — how to make Gin Rickey

    !Using too little ice, which waters down the drink quickly as the warm soda hits it.

  4. 4

    Top the glass with chilled club soda, pouring gently down the side to keep the bubbles intact. Give it one slow stir from the bottom with a bar spoon just to mix the gin and lime through the soda, and you're done.

    Step 4 — how to make Gin Rickey

    !Stirring too aggressively, which flattens the soda water immediately.

Serve

Serve it right away while the soda is still popping, with a straw if you like, or just drink it straight from the glass.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for Gin

  • GinBourbon
    Match
    Common availability

    Gin → Bourbon: Makes the original Bourbon Rickey, which is richer and slightly sweeter on the palate.

  • GinVodka
    Match
    Common availability

    Gin → Vodka: Removes the botanical notes entirely, leaving just the lime and soda.

Related

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Tom Collins

Similar cocktail

Tom Collins

The Tom Collins adds sugar syrup and uses lemon instead of lime.

Match

While both are tall gin and citrus drinks, the Tom Collins is sweeter and softer, whereas the Rickey is a dry, bracing slap of lime and gin.

In common: Tall highball format, gin and soda base, citrus forward

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Club soda

Only in Gin Rickey

Fresh lime juice, Lime shell

Only in Tom Collins

Fresh lemon juice, Simple syrup

The Gin Rickey swaps lemon for lime and drops the simple syrup entirely, making it much drier and more tart than a Tom Collins.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Botanical gin backbone, citrus brightness, fizzy texture

How Tom Collins differs

drier, sharper, more tart

View recipe & details →

Gimlet

Similar cocktail

Gimlet

A Gimlet is a short, shaken drink with sugar, while the Rickey is a tall, built drink with soda and no sugar.

Match

The Gimlet drinks like a concentrated, slightly sweet sour cocktail, while the Rickey is a dry, lengthened, carbonated refresher.

In common: Gin and lime pairing, sour profile

Ingredients

Both share

Gin, Fresh lime juice

Only in Gin Rickey

Club soda, Lime shell

Only in Gimlet

Simple syrup

The Gimlet uses the same gin and lime base but adds sugar for balance and skips the soda water, making it a concentrated short drink.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Juniper and lime flavors, tart acidity

How Gimlet differs

sweeter, stronger, no fizz

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

The Rickey was created at Shoomaker's bar in Washington, D.C., for Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey. It was originally made with bourbon, but gin became the popular standard by the early 20th century.

Creator
Colonel Joe Rickey / Shoomaker's bar
Era
1880s
IBA
The Unforgettables
Data version
IBA 2020 spec
Confidence

The original 1880s Rickey used bourbon; the gin version overtook it in popularity by the 1910s.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

  • Use a good London Dry gin since there's nothing to hide behind.
  • Chill your soda and glass beforehand to keep the drink colder longer.
  • Squeeze the lime fresh; bottled lime juice tastes flat here.

Avoid

Common mistakes

  • Don't add sugar, or it becomes a Collins.
  • Don't stir aggressively or you'll kill the soda fizz.