Spicy, spritzy and refreshing, this cocktail is essentially grown-up root beer. 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. At Cicoria, the drink is served up in a short glass and garnished with a pineapple wedge, but this easygoing rendition opts for ice in a tall glass with more root beer. Add a lime wedge, if you like. —Ali Slagle
Ingredients
Yield: 1 drink
- Ice
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 4 ounces root beer (see Tip)
- Lime wedge, for serving (optional)
Preparation
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.
Tip: 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.
source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023199-root-beer-rickey