A tall, strawberry-laced bourbon sour with a ginger backbone, it dresses the whiskey's caramel-and-oak warmth in summer fruit, with muddled strawberry and lemon brightening every sip. Two dashes of Angostura add a thread of spice and the ginger beer lengthens it over ice, keeping the glass lively and prickling rather than sweet.
Garnish: Strawberry, Lemon Wheel
Shaken · Collins · On the Rocks
muddle
Muddle the hulled strawberries with the simple syrup in the base of a shaker.
add
Add the bourbon, lemon juice, and Angostura bitters, then fill with ice.
shake
Shake hard until well chilled.
strain
Fine-strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.
top
Top with ginger beer and stir briefly to combine.
garnish
Garnish with a strawberry slice and an optional lemon wheel.
Bartender Erick Castro devised the Kentucky Buck in San Francisco in 2009, with accounts placing it at either Bourbon & Branch or Rickhouse, two bars where he worked. Its name nods to the buck, an 1890s style that pairs a spirit with ginger. Castro's first version stretched the drink with ginger syrup and soda water, though the form that travelled furthest tops it with ginger beer instead. It caught on fast enough for Imbibe to name it a modern classic in 2014.