Rickey

Spirit + Citrus Juice (lime) + Soda + Sweetener (optional) in an ice filled glass

Along the same lines as a Collins, but a Rickey often doesn't include any sweetener, and should always be made with lime juice.

The first printed recipe for a "Gin Rickey" appears in the 1903 "Daly's Bartenders Encyclopedia: A complete catalogue of the latest and most popular drinks" as:

GIN RICKEY Use a sour glass. Squeeze the juice of one lime into it. 1 small lump of ice. 1 wine glass of Plymouth gin. Fill the glass with syphon seltzer, and serve with small bar spoon. This drink was devised by the late Colonel Rickey of Kentucky, whose fame as a congenial friend and dispenser of hospitality, as well as a judge of appetizing edibles and liquid refreshments, is world-wide, and it is universally conceded that for a drink containing an alcoholic ingredient it is the most cooling and refreshing beverage known.

The drink was reportedly created in Washington, D.C. at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. Williamson sometime in the 1880s, purportedly in collaboration with Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey. It is said it originally was made with bourbon, and lemon juice instead of lime. The switch from lemon juice to lime is ascribed to Missouri Representative William Henry Hatch.

For an example, see:

• Gin Rickey

External Links

• Origins of the Gin Rickey (Imbibe Magazine) Ted Haigh, June 24, 2009

• The Rickey Cocktail (Wikipedia)