Gin Lime Rickey Cocktail

This gin lime rickey cocktail recipe is deliciously citrusy refreshing and takes less than 5 minutes to make. It’s the perfect poolside drink.

Lime rickeys remind me of my sister, Robyn. She used to walk down to the local ice cream shop and get a non-alcoholic lime rickey. Sometimes she would get it raspberry flavored.

I’ve only had a sip or two of Robyn’s limey drinks because if I were going to that ice cream shop, I wouldn’t waste my stomach space on a non ice cream item. That is for sure. I would always, ALWAYS get either a few scoops of ice cream or a milk shake.

When I got older, I started to enjoy this alcohol version. Because, well, alcohol.

Why would I say that this gin lime rickey cocktail is more refreshing than say, a martini or a butterball cocktail? All cocktails that have citrus in them would be considered more refreshing. It’s the zest.

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Helpful tips

• Use the best gin you could afford as I do believe it makes a difference in taste.
• When buying limes at the grocers, heft them in your hand and buy the heaviest and greenest limes you can find.
• I also smell the limes. The more fragrant the lime is, the fresher it is.
• You can wash the limes two ways: 1.) Use a natural unscented hand soap and scrub the skins with a vegetable brush and run the limes under water to wash off the soap or 2.) Fill a bowl with 3 cup of water and add 1 cup of white vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinse the limes under running water and use a brush to scrub the skin.
• If you are making only one lime rickey, you don’t need a shaker, you can just pour the gin and lime in the glass and stir well before adding the club soda.
• You may be tempted to put a sweetener in this cocktail, but don’t give in.  Follow the recipe as written, then taste the drink to decide if you need it to be sweetened. I believe you will be satisfied with this recipe.

The history

In the late 1880s, a gentleman by the name of Joe Rickey coined the name when a bartender added the juice of half a lime to Joe’s “mornin’s morning,” which was a daily dose of bourbon, lump ice and sparkling mineral water.

So, the lime rickey was first made with bourbon, but later came to be made with gin.  And apparently, in soda fountains on the east coast, the virgin version was enjoyed by kiddos, and that included my sister.

How to mix the gin lime rickey

Pre-step

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and get a measuring glass and your glassware. Also cut 6 thin lime wheels from a washed fresh lime.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour them into the shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – gin, lime and club soda.

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of gin.

Step three

Measure out 2 ounces of lime.

Step four

Cap the shaker and shake for 10 seconds. Add ice to your waiting glasses and place three lime wheels in each glass. Divide the contents of the shaker between the glasses.

Step five

Top off the cocktail with club soda. I use a stirrer to mix it all up.

Here’s the vertical view.

You are going to love this. Especially sitting by the pool, sipping away!

I hope you enjoyed this gin lime rickey recipe.

Please leave me a comment!  What is your favorite gin cocktail?

Other refreshing cocktails

• Cucumber Mint Cosmo
• Blueberry Mint Cosmo
• Cadillac Margarita
• Peach Margarita

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST  to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Originally published in August of 2017.