1922 American bartending standard.
| 1½ oz · 45 ml | RYE WHISKEY | 45 % |
| ½ oz · 15 ml | LEMON JUICE | |
| 4 oz · 120 ml | GINGER ALE |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 2 oz mixed with ice, 0.68 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Stirred: +15 % of the pre-batch, +0.3 oz of water |
| Topped | Poured after the melt, kept whole: ginger ale 4 oz, no alcohol |
| Served | 2 + 0.3 + 4 = 6.3 oz in the glass, 0.68 oz of it alcohol |
| Strength | 0.68 ÷ 6.3 = 10.7 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.68 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 16 g · about 110 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM RYE · from oak barrel aging
Bourbon's fingerprint, extracted from the charred American oak the law requires for aging. Same molecule as the vanilla bean's signature, so a well-aged bourbon legitimately tastes like vanilla. Chemistry, not metaphor. Cognac, aged rum, tequila reposado all extract vanillin from oak too. Different barrels, same molecule.
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FROM LEMON · the lemon aroma
Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.
ALSO IN Margarita · Mojito · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation
FROM GINGER ALE · the ginger heat
Fresh ginger's heat, a phenolic ketone that activates TRPV1 (the same capsaicin receptor) at a fraction of chili-pepper intensity. Dried ginger converts gingerol into shogaol via heat-driven dehydration, which is why dried ginger reads as warmer and sharper than fresh root. Ginger beer, the Moscow Mule, and the Dark 'n' Stormy all lean on it.
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Rye, lemon and ginger ale. It applies the Buck format (spirit, citrus and ginger) to American rye. Gingerol from ginger ale, citral from lemon and vanillin from rye make a long, refreshing drink.
The 'Buck' is the elemental category (spirit, citrus, ginger ale) that produced the Mule (vodka), the Dark & Stormy (rum), the Suffering Bastard (gin + brandy), and the Whiskey Highball variations. The American Buck specifically refers to the rye-and-ginger-ale variant, distinct from the rum-and-ginger-beer Dark & Stormy or the vodka-and-ginger-beer Moscow Mule. The origin of the 'Buck' name itself is unrecorded.
