This easy gin rickey recipe is a quick and refreshing classic cocktail made with nothing but hints of fresh lime, crisp sparkling water, and good gin.  This simple cocktail has been around for quite some time and it needs no introduction when making an entrance… It can be served on hot days and holidays alike. Anytime is a good time for a cold gin rickey.

A Drink That Needs No Introduction (But I Wrote A Quick One Anyway)

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Classic rickey cocktails have been around since the late 1800s.  Originally, this refreshing drink made its debut with bourbon.  The bourbon rickey sported the exact same look and feel as our current day classic gin rickey cocktail.  It had the same simple mixture of spirit + carbonated water.

It is said that Colonel Joe Rickey, a political lobbyist living in Washington D.C. in the late 1800s, would order this sparkling highball drink with seltzer water and bourbon.  It would seem like Colonel Rickey had a preference for drinks without added sugar.  

To give the classic drink a tad more flavor and palatability, his bartender (George Williamson, according to numerous sources) added hints of fresh lime which laced the simple cocktail with a refreshing hit of citrus.  So, the cold, crisp, and refreshing lime rickey was born!

When I made my own rickey with bourbon, I decided to mix it up by adding fresh orange to make an easy orange bourbon rickey recipe. There’s also an orange bourbon smash for those of you more keen on crisp bourbon cocktails that hit the spot on hot summer days or even derby day.

It wouldn’t be until a decade later that this easy limited ingredient concoction would really take off in popularity, but, with one teensy, weensy, tiny little twist: the use of gin instead of bourbon.

Enter The Gin Rickey

Making the original rickey recipe with gin seemed to make this whole concept really take off…  Something about the cool and crisp botanical profile of floral gin or london dry gin seemed to be a no-brainer with the likes of zesty, perfumy fresh lime slices and cold sparkling water.

I feel like this classic gin rickey recipe is the reason why low-carb and keto-friendly seltzer drinks are so popular in the ever competitive beverage markets today (especially the canned ones).  These drinks are highly refreshing (when served ice cold), they require (or are made with) minimal ingredients, and they contain low amounts of sugar.

A Keto-Friendly Low-Carb Cocktail That Satisfies

This rickey cocktail is essentially the same thing as a refreshing canned seltzer cocktail, but made fresh and with your preference of gin.  It’s perfect for those in need of keto-friendly cocktails or low-carb cocktails.  Unlike tonic water, club soda and sparkling water have zero carbs. This makes them perfect for use in low carb drinks like this one.

To make our very own classic gin rickey recipe we’ll need nothing more than 4 simple ingredients on hand.  I will note, that while the classic rickey cocktails are generally made with little to no sugar, I find that a hint (less than half an ounce) of simple syrup shaves just a tad bit of edge off the cocktail.  

It makes the gin cocktail smoother without sacrificing the crisp refreshing flavor profile we so love about the drink.  This, of course, and really good gin. So, you’ll wanna start by whipping out your favorite best gin for this.  Here’s what you’ll need to make this iconic and favorite gin cocktail.

Ingredients To Make A Fresh Lime Gin Rickey Cocktail with Gin 

• Good quality gin – For my lime gin rickey recipe, I’m using Hendrick’s gin which has a lovely zesty, refreshing, and crisp flavor profile with notes of rosy florals and other botanicals.  Clean tasting and balanced. 
• Fresh squeezed lime juice
• Simple syrup – which you can make by combining equal parts water and sugar in a sauce pan and heating until clear and combined (then cooling down before using), or buy bottled simple syrup.
• Sparkling water – or club soda/soda water (I used La Croix lime sparkling water for extra crisp limey flavor!)
• Tall slender tom collins glasses or highball glasses

How To Make A Gin Rickey Cocktail

When To SErve A Classic Gin Rickey REcipe

• Serve this easy gin cocktail as a crisp spring cocktail with it’s easy refreshing quality. For a festive spring-like presentation be sure to garnish with fresh herbs like spearmint, basil, or lavender. You can even serve this limey gin rickey as a simple brunch cocktail. Serve at Easter time and all through May as the cool spring weather eases down into the heat of summer.
• Serve this easy gin drinkers’ libation on hot days when you crave thirst-quenching low-sugar drinks to cool you down. These easy watermelon gin smash cocktails are also great on hot days.
•  Serve your gin rickey as a pre-dinner aperitif or after dinner digestif  type cocktail. Serve it to guests who enjoy simple dry drinks before or after the meal.
• You can jazz things up and serve the cocktail topped off with dry brut champagne (or prosecco). This adds a luxurious bubbly finish. That’s what I did with this fresh raspberry sage gin cocktail that I served as a holiday dinner cocktail to Thanksgiving and Christmas guests.

 As a gin lover, you might recognize the union of champagne and gin in another great classic cocktail, like the French 75.  Gin and champagne go waaay back with a long lovely history together and marry quite well in cocktails…

However you decide to serve it up, there’s only one true way to really enjoy the classic gin rickey: ice cold, so have some big beautiful chunky ice cubes ready!

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