Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Klondike Cooler
Start makingGinger ale does most of the work here, stretching 45 ml of rye across a tall glass with just enough orange juice to take the edge off. Spicy and light, the kind of thing you keep drinking on a warm afternoon.
In the glassRye whiskey · Orange juice · Ginger ale
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
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.
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Rye whiskey45 ml
- Orange juice15 ml
- Ginger ale90 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Ice the glass Fill the glass with ice
- 02
Measure and pour Pour 45 ml rye whiskey
Rye whiskey
- 03
Measure and pour Add 15 ml orange juice
Orange 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 an orange slice
Know your drink
About the Klondike Cooler
What makes it a cooler
Coolers were their own category in the old books, defined less by what went into them than by the peel. One whole orange or lemon, cut in a single unbroken spiral, dropped into a tall glass so it coils from the bottom to the rim. Whiskey, gin and brandy versions all shared that trick, and the spirit was the only variable.
Common questions
Klondike Cooler FAQ
Does the ginger ale go in first or last?
Last, and gently. Pour the rye and orange juice over ice, then run the ginger ale down the side of the glass and give it one slow lift with a bar spoon. Stirring hard knocks the carbonation out and leaves you a flat, sweet highball.
Can I use ginger beer here instead?
You can, though it stops being a cooler. Ginger beer is hotter and denser, and it buries the orange juice rather than riding on top of it. If you want the ginger to lead, use it. If you want the rye to lead, stay with ginger ale.
What is the long orange peel actually for?
Aroma, mostly. Cut in one continuous spiral and hung over the rim, the peel sits in the gap between your nose and the drink and releases oil every time you lift the glass. It is the one thing separating a cooler from a plain whiskey highball.
Why does mine taste watered down halfway through?
Small ice. Cubes from a standard tray have far too much surface area for a drink you sip slowly. Fill the glass right to the top rather than half filling it, or use two or three large cubes so the melt stays behind the flavor.
What ingredients are in a Klondike Cooler?
A classic Klondike Cooler calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Rye whiskey, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Orange 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 Klondike Cooler?
A standard Klondike Cooler is roughly 14% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.
Is a Klondike Cooler shaken or stirred?
A Klondike Cooler 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
Skills used in this recipe
How to stir a cocktail for a silky finish
Control chilling and dilution without adding the bubbles and texture of a shake.
Read the guide
Cocktail ice: cubes, crushed ice and dilution
Understand why ice is an ingredient—and choose the right shape for every drink.
Read the guideWhere to go next
If you like the Klondike Cooler, try these.
Gin Cooler
Lighter than a Tom Collins by design. Same gin, lemon and sugar, but only 8 ml of syrup and a shorter pour of soda, which leaves it dry and sharply citrusy rather than lemonade-sweet.
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Remsen Cooler
Remsen Coolers began as a Scotch drink, by most tellings, and gin took over later. Three ingredients, one of them soda water, which leaves nowhere for a dull gin to hide.
View recipe
Cranberry Cooler
Almost every bottle labeled cranberry on a supermarket shelf is a sweetened juice cocktail, which is why this often reads soft rather than sharp. Track down the unsweetened kind and the lime and soda suddenly have something to push against.
View recipe