Bourbon Rickey

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This Bourbon Rickey is an easy bourbon whiskey cocktail that any beginner at home bartender can make. It’s a twist on a classic rickey cocktail, and is made with only 3 ingredients.

A classic rickey drink is made with gin, lime juice and soda. This bourbon version uses bourbon whiskey instead of gin. But there are lots of variations you can make on a rickey cocktail — like this Grapefruit Rickey, for example.

For more bourbon cocktails, try this Bourbon Margarita, this Rosemary Bourbon Cocktail or this Pear Bourbon Cocktail.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make A Bourbon Rickey
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Beginner friendly — You don’t need any bartending equipment to make this drink (no cocktail shaker!). Plus, this cocktail has only 3 ingredients, so anyone can easily make this drink. 
• Not overly sweet — This is a simple, spirit-forward cocktail that is not overly sweet. If you are looking for a sweet, flavorful bourbon cocktail, try this Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail or this Bourbon Raspberry Cocktail instead. 
• Great for bourbon lovers — This is a great cocktail for bourbon lovers who enjoy drinking bourbon neat, but sometimes want to try something a bit different.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Bourbon: You can taste the bourbon in this cocktail, so use whatever type of bourbon or whiskey you enjoy. 
• Lime Juice: Since this is such a simple drink, the quality of lime juice will stand out, so be sure to use freshly squeezed lime juice. You could use lemon juice as a substitute if you prefer.
• Sparkling Water: You can use sparkling water or club soda. You can make your own sparkling water at home using a Sodastream or use bottled sparkling water. As a substitute, you can use 7Up or Sprite, but it will add a sweeter flavor to the drink.

How To Make A Bourbon Rickey

Step 1: Add the bourbon and lime juice to a cocktail glass filled with ice. Stir.

Step 2: Pour the sparkling water on top and stir again before serving.

Expert Tips

• Add in a flavored syrup. If you want to elevate this simple cocktail, adding in ½ ounce to 1 ounce of a flavored simple syrup is a great way to do that. Some simple syrup flavors that would work well in this Bourbon Rickey include this Thyme Simple Syrup or this Blackberry Simple Syrup. 
• Chill your ingredients. Since this drink isn’t shaken in a cocktail shaker, it is important that the ingredients you are using are already cold. Chill the ingredients (and your cocktail glass), in the fridge for an hour before you make this drink. 
• Adjust the amount of bourbon. For a weaker drink, reduce the amount of bourbon to only 1 ounce. For a stronger drink add up to 2 ½ ounces.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe