Brightest Young Things

The gin rickey is a great refreshing summertime drink. It's also simple to make, and doesn't need many ingredients.

There are a few different variations (e.g. how much gin to use, but I wouldn't go any less than 2 oz).

Gin Rickey (Classic)

• 2 oz gin
• juice of half a lime
• club soda

Squeeze lime over ice in a highball glass, add gin. Top off with soda, stir lightly, and serve. Optional: garnish with lime wedge and mint sprigs.

Also, since I've been on a sloe gin kick lately, you can make this drink replacing gin with sloe gin.

This drink is so refreshing because it's so dry. The gin is dry, and the soda cuts the acidity of the lime just right. Adding sugar to this drink would kill a lot of the refreshment value.

The gin rickey may or may not have originated from a Colonel Rickey, who was stationed right here in Washington back in the late 1800s. It's rumored that he invented the Rickey-style drinks (first with Bourbon). He supposedly avoided using any sugar because he believed that it "heated the blood." As if that's a bad thing. In any event, kudos to you Col. Rickey for a job well done, even if you didn't actually do it.