Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Gin Buck

Ginger ale does more here than dilute. Lemon juice sharpens it, gin sends juniper up through the bubbles, and the result comes out drier than the sweet highball it looks like on paper.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthMediumabout 12% ABVMethodBuilt in glass6 guided stepsIngredients3Tall (highball) glass

Highball

In the glassGin · Fresh lemon juice · Ginger ale

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Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear highball glass with tall straight sides and a substantial base. — Serving glassHighball glass

Set up before you pour

Use a highball glass.

The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.

Standard size: 350 ml11¾ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your tall (highball) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Gin45 ml
Ginger ale90 ml
Fresh lemon juice15 ml

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From bottle to glass

Method

01
Ice the glass
Fill the glass with ice
02
Measure and pour
Pour 45 ml gin
- Gin
03
Measure and pour
Add 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
04
Top gently
Top with 90 ml ginger ale
- Ginger ale
05
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
06
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice

Know your drink

About the Gin Buck

A gin highball, dry Martini and ruby bitter gin cocktail in a botanical bar.

The buck family tree

Bucks predate most of what people think of as old cocktails. The formula spread with bottled ginger ale in the late nineteenth century, and by the time bartenders had names for them the pattern was set: whatever spirit is around, plus citrus, plus ginger. The Mamie Taylor took scotch, the Horse's Neck went to brandy, and the Moscow Mule turned up much later with vodka.

Old Tom and the sweeter contemporary gins turn cloying against the ale's sugar. A dry, juniper-heavy London gin is the right call, and a navy-strength bottling at 57 percent is better still, since there's a lot of soda to stand up to. Plymouth splits the difference if you want something softer without losing the spine.

Common questions

Gin Buck FAQ

What makes a drink a buck?

Spirit, citrus and ginger. That's the entire family. Put scotch and lime in it and you have a Mamie Taylor; vodka, lime and ginger beer gets you a Moscow Mule. The ginger and the acid are fixed, and the bottle underneath is open.

Should I use lemon or lime?

Lemon is the older convention for this one and matches gin's citrus botanicals more cleanly. Lime works and pushes it toward a mule. What you shouldn't do is leave the acid out, because without it the ginger ale is just sugar and the drink collapses.

Can I make a pitcher of this ahead?

Mix the gin and lemon in advance and keep it cold, then add the ginger ale glass by glass. Anything carbonated goes flat in a pitcher inside twenty minutes. For six drinks that's 270 ml of gin and 90 of lemon waiting in the fridge.

Where does the Gin Gin Mule fit in?

That's a modern build with mint, lime and ginger beer, credited to Audrey Saunders, and it's a bigger drink in every direction. The Buck is the plain ancestor. If you like the Gin Gin but don't feel like muddling mint, this is what to make.

What ingredients are in a Gin Buck?

A classic Gin Buck calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Gin, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 90 ml (3 oz) Ginger ale. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Gin Buck?

A standard Gin Buck is roughly 12% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.

Is a Gin Buck shaken or stirred?

A Gin Buck is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.

Sharpen the technique