August 9, 2013
All summer long, this Gin Buck has been the star of our cocktail hour. What’s a Gin Buck you ask? Well, in the beginning I had to figure that one out myself. Through my extensive research (aka Wikipedia) a Gin Buck is also referred to as a Ginger Rogers or London Buck—fantastic names, right?
The cocktail is traditionally made with gin, lemon juice and ginger ale. My hybrid switches out the ginger ale for ginger beer and adds some mint. I love this drink because: A) you can have all your ingredients at the ready, B) it’s super easy to make, C) it’s not too sweet (sorry, Justine) and D) it’s god-damn (sorry, Leah) delicious.
Gin Buck, My Way
Recipe for one drink, easily doubled
2 lemons
Bunch of fresh mint
Gin, it’s worth it to drink a good one. My all-time favorite is Hendrick’s.
Pack a shot glass full of mint leaves and pour them into the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Jab a few times with the end of a wooden spoon until the juices release.
Next, pour in 2 ounces fresh lemon juice and 1.5 ounces of gin (I like Hendrick’s– wait, did I already mention that?) Throw in two handfuls of ice and shake like the dickens for a good seven-second count.
Pour and strain the shaker contents over ice in a double-old fashioned (or any pretty glass). Top with about two ounces of the ginger beer, stir gently and garnish with a little fresh mint and lemon slice.
Forget the pretty set-up, this is what the real cocktail testing looks like…
Cheers!
