Spicy, spritzy and refreshing, this cocktail is essentially grown-up root beer.
Root Beer Rickey
A classic rickey is just liquor, lime juice and carbonated water, but reach for rye whiskey and trade the soda water for root beer, and you get the root beer rickey, a drink bartender Jim Meehan created for Cicoria, a pizzeria in Portland, Ore. Root beer and rye are natural partners, as each is woodsy, minty and caramelly; the soda also lends sweetness without having to add sugar.
Ingredients
- Ice
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 4 ounces root beer (see Tip)
- Lime wedge, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Into an ice-filled Collins glass, pour the whiskey and lime juice. Top with root beer, then give a quick stir with a bar spoon, fork handle or chopstick. Top with the lime wedge, if using.
- The flavor of the drink is largely dependent on the quality of the root beer, so it’s worth seeking out a root beer sweetened with honey, molasses or cane sugar as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup. Virgil’s and Jones Soda are great choices; Cicoria uses root beer from Crater Lake Soda.