Kentucky Buck

A tall, strawberry-laced bourbon sour with a ginger backbone, the Kentucky Buck takes the venerable 1890s "buck" template — spirit plus ginger — and dresses it in summer fruit. Muddled strawberry and lemon brighten the whiskey's caramel-and-oak warmth, while Angostura and a ginger lengthener keep it lively rather than sweet. Bartender Erick Castro created it in 2009 in San Francisco, and it spread quickly enough to be hailed a modern classic by the middle of the following decade.

RefreshingHighballClassicBerry

Ingredients

2 pieceStrawberry(hulled and muddled)
2 ozBourbon
0.75 ozLemon Juice
0.5 ozSimple Syrup
2 dashAngostura Bitters
2 ozGinger Beer(to top)

Garnish: Strawberry, Lemon Wheel

Preparation

Shaken · Collins · Cubed

1.
muddle
Muddle the hulled strawberries with the simple syrup in the base of a shaker.
2.
add
Add the bourbon, lemon juice, and Angostura bitters, then fill with ice.
3.
shake
Shake hard until well chilled.
4.
strain
Fine-strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.
5.
top
Top with ginger beer and stir briefly to combine.
6.
garnish
Garnish with a strawberry slice and an optional lemon wheel.

Flavor Profile

sweet

31%

dilution

29%

spiced

27%

citrus

20%

heat

19%

sour

18%

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