A spare, bone-dry highball of gin, the juice and spent shell of half a lime, and a generous pour of soda — no sugar to soften its edges. Born in 1880s Washington as a whiskey drink named for lobbyist Col. Joe Rickey, it traded bourbon for gin in the 1890s and never looked back, earning a cameo in The Great Gatsby and, eventually, status as D.C.'s official cocktail. Crisp, tart, and built to be drained on a hot afternoon.
Garnish: Lime Wedge
built · Highball · Cubed
build
Squeeze the juice of half a lime into a highball glass and drop the spent shell in.
add
Add the gin, then fill the glass with ice.
top
Top with chilled soda water.
stir
Stir gently to combine.
garnish
Leave the lime shell in, or garnish with a lime wedge.