My Bar Bible / Cocktails / Bourbon Rickey

Bourbon Rickey in a highball, drawn with its ingredient layers

Bourbon Rickey recipe

BuiltHighballCubed ice11% ABV

The Bourbon Rickey is a built whiskey cocktail, made with bourbon, lime juice and soda water, served in a highball over ice. It is citrusy and sparkling.

Strength: about 11% ABV in the glass, roughly 18 g of alcohol per drink (an estimate; brands and dilution vary).

The original Rickey, made with bourbon for Colonel Joe Rickey in Washington in the 1880s, before gin took over.

Bourbon Rickey ingredients

Bourbon50 ml (1¾ oz)
Lime juice15 ml (½ oz)
Soda watertop up, about 120 ml

Measures for one serve. Open the drink in Bar Bible to scale it to a batch or switch to ounces.

How to make a Bourbon Rickey

  1. Fill a highball with ice.
  2. Pour the ingredients in order, topping last.
  3. Lift once gently with a barspoon.
  4. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Glass
Highball
Ice
Cubed
Garnish
Lime wedge
Open Bourbon Rickey in My Bar Bible

Bourbon Rickey: quick answers

How strong is a Bourbon Rickey?
About 11% alcohol once the ice has melted in, roughly 18 g of alcohol per drink. That is an estimate: brands and dilution vary.
What glass is a Bourbon Rickey served in?
A highball, over ice cubes.
How many ingredients does a Bourbon Rickey have?
3 in total: bourbon, lime juice and soda water. Simple enough to make at home.

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