Ginger Beer Lime Rickey Recipes

CLASSIC LIME RICKEY

Steps:

• Add the lime juice and alcoholic or non-alcoholic mixer (whiskey, gin, caper juice or simple syrup) to highball glass and stir.
• Fill with ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with lime wedges.

CHERRY LIME RICKY

Steps:

• Put the cherries, lime, and sugar into a large rocks glass. Muddle the fruit and sugar by pressing them with a pestle or a wooden spoon until juicy and fragrant. Add the gin and crushed ice. Cover with a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, by the time the shaker mists up the drink is ready.) Serve.
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CHERRY-LIME RICKEY

Steps:

• Combine the cherries, sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Carefully smash the cherries with a potato masher, then simmer the mixture until slightly reduced and dark red, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Strain the mixture through a strainer into a heatproof container, pressing on the cherry solids to extract all the juice. There should be about 1 3/4 cups of syrup. Let cool for 30 minutes.
• Combine the cherry syrup with the limeade and lime juice in a pitcher and stir well. There will be about 3 cups total.
• To serve: Either stir in 3 cups water if you want a still drink, or mix equal parts of the drink mix with seltzer in a glass. Serve over ice with frozen cherries and lime wheels.

GINGER BEER LIME RICKEY

Steps:

• Fill 4 tall glasses with crushed ice. Combine the ginger beer, club soda, lime juice and grenadine in a pitcher. Pour over the ice. Garnish with lime rounds and/or cherries.

GIN-GIN LIME RICKEY

Steps:

• Fill 4 tall glasses with crushed ice. Combine the ginger beer, club soda, lime juice and grenadine in a pitcher and pour over the ice. Add a shot of gin to each glass. Garnish with limes rounds and/or cherries.

ROOT BEER RICKEY

Steps:

• 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.

HOMEMADE GINGER BEER

Steps:

• Take a 1.5-liter plastic bottle of spring water and empty it into a clean pitcher. Use some of it to make simple syrup by stirring 1/2 pound sugar into 1 cup hot water until fully dissolved.
• In a large measuring cup, mix all ingredients and stir well. Funnel back into the plastic bottle and cap tightly. Store in a warm, dark place for 24 to 48 hours. (I put mine inside a box, to contain it if it should blow.) The top of the bottle will expand and become tight. Check it and very slowly release the pressure if it's looking groaningly tight. Some people ferment it with no top, or with the top on loosely, to allow gas to escape. I suppose if you wanted to get fancy you could spend $1.50 on a fermentation lock and stop worrying about it. If the temperature is quite warm, above 80F, a single day may be sufficient. The longer you let it ferment, the drier the final mix will be.
• After 48 hours, refrigerate it to stop the fermentation. Once chilled, you can strain out the pulp and dead yeast, which will have made a sediment on the bottom. Makes 1 liter and will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.