Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Remsen Cooler
Start makingRemsen 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.
In the glassGin · Simple syrup · Soda water
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
- Gin60 ml
- Soda water120 ml
- Simple syrup8 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Ice the glass Fill the glass with ice
- 02
Measure and pour Pour 60 ml gin
Gin
- 03
Measure and pour Add 8 ml simple syrup
Simple syrup
- 04
Top gently Top with 120 ml soda water
Soda water
- 05
Stir around the ice Stir gently to combine
- 06
Finish the drink Finish it — add a lemon slice
Know your drink
About the Remsen Cooler
Whisky brand turned cocktail
Remsen was a brand of Scotch sold in America late in the nineteenth century, and by most tellings the cooler named after it originally called for that whisky specifically. Gin crept in as the brand faded, and by the time the drink reached the standard guides both versions were in print. Try it with a lightly peated blend to see the older shape.
Common questions
Remsen Cooler FAQ
Does this justify a good bottle?
It does. With no juice and almost no sugar, everything you taste is gin, water and cold. Navy strength at 57% holds its shape across 120 ml of soda, while a delicate contemporary gin can get washed out entirely by the second sip.
What does the lemon peel actually add?
Aroma, and in the original it's close to the whole point. Cut the peel from a lemon in one long spiral, drop it in so it coils against the ice, and its oils sit on the surface of every sip. A flat slice gives you a fraction of that.
Is it supposed to be this plain?
Yes. Cooler in the older sense meant spirit, sugar and carbonated water with no juice at all. The pleasure comes from temperature and carbonation instead of layered flavor. Add 15 ml of lemon juice and you've made a Gin Cooler, which is a different drink.
How much ice should go in the glass?
To the top, then a little more. A half-filled glass melts fast and goes soft and warm by the third sip. Packed ice melts slower, keeps the soda lively, and the slow dilution it eventually gives you is exactly what 60 ml of gin wants.
What ingredients are in a Remsen Cooler?
A classic Remsen Cooler calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Gin, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Simple syrup, 120 ml (4 oz) Soda water. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
How strong is a Remsen Cooler?
A standard Remsen Cooler is roughly 13% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.
Is a Remsen Cooler shaken or stirred?
A Remsen 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 guide
Simple syrup ratios, storage and flavor variations
Make a consistent sweetener and understand when rich syrup changes a recipe.
Read the guideWhere to go next
If you like the Remsen 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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Klondike Cooler
Ginger 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.
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.
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