Horse’s Neck

Who doesn’t love a Bourbon & Ginger? It’s easy, delicious, and only costs about $4 at your favorite dive bar. But what if we told you your favorite well drink actually has a sophisticated sibling? 

Meet the Horse’s Neck. Long before bourbon and ginger were combined in Kentucky Bucks or Kentucky Mules, they were being poured into this refreshing cocktail. The Horse’s Neck dates back to the late 1800s, shortly after the invention of ginger ale itself. An Irish apothecary and surgeon by the name of Thomas Cantrell created the first ginger ale in the 1850s in Belfast, Ireland. The beverage idea was popular and inspired Canadian pharmacist John McLaughlin to create a drier version that he named, “Canada Dry.”

As the bubbly beverage gained recognization with consumers, it wasn’t long until bartenders got curious too. Once they got their hands on ginger ale, they quickly began to pair the ale with brandy, rye whiskey, and of course, bourbon. At the time, the cocktail didn’t distinguish between any of the spirits, but bourbon quickly became the go-to option. Hence why bourbon + ginger have been such a lasting combination in the cocktail world.

At its core, the Horse’s Neck is a very simple cocktail with just bourbon, bitters, and ginger ale. But hey – what’s wrong with simple? However, you can always spot a real Horse’s Neck by the lemon peel. A staple step in this cocktail is creating the longest peel of lemon you can muster. That peel is then wrapped around the inside of a Collins glass before adding the ice and other ingredients. The wrapped peel is meant to give the drink a slow infusion of lemon flavor into the ginger ale carbonation and mimic the look of a horse’s neck. It doesn’t look like any neck we’ve ever seen, but we respect the drama nonetheless.

Although the long lemon peel is a bit of pain and the bitters may seem a little extra, these additions turn the humble Bourbon & Ginger into a sophisticated, refreshing sipper known as the Horse’s Neck.