Cherry Lime Rickey

Rickeys are old cocktails, but they’re gaining in popularity again. Mrs. Ferment fell in love with her first Gin Rickey at The Cheesecake Factory. I’ve been a fan for years, because of its ease of preparation and simple ingredient list—containing gin, sparkling water, and lime. And it is served ice-cold.

Easy! A good gin will provide just the right amount of botanicals to the cocktail, but if the result is too tart, and it can be for modern palates, a squirt of simple syrup or a sweetened lime juice can be added. Newman’s Own limeade is always in my cool chest.

The original Rickey was made with Bourbon, as so many of these American drinks. That recipe is the same as the above, exchanging Bourbon for the gin, but is now known as the Joe Rickey. This is fine, as far as it goes. I’m not much of a Bourbon man, myself, and I don’t feel that lime is the best citrus fruit to pair with whiskey.

But there are other fruits that pair perfectly with the Gin Rickey, and my favorite is cherry. Trader Joe’s has an outstanding 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice that is nothing but what it says on the label. Combining this with my Gin Rickey recipe makes for a drink that puckers the lips while refreshing the palate.

It’s a drink made for the beach, if only the beaches around here were awesome enough to allow us the indulgence. Outside on the patio will do, or, as is often the case, I’ll drink it in the middle of winter while dreaming of beaches where they don’t prevent adults from doing adult things.