Ginger, citrus, clove
This buck goes especially well with Carolina-pulled pork and vinegary slaw.
A buck, also called a mule, is any drink containing liquor, citrus, and ginger beer or ginger ale. It’s an easy pleaser at parties and a way to show off your own fermented ginger beer, which is a snap to make and takes just a couple of days to prep in advance (page 247). Back in the late 1800s, the buck gained popularity (thanks to a singer of “light opera” named Mamie Taylor who loved it) and it fizzed its way on through Prohibition. We love this bourbon-based update, created by Erick Castro at San Francisco’s Bourbon & Branch, because it’s a summer drink that tastes good all the way through fall, thanks to the Angostura.
2 ounces (60 ml) rye whiskey (Rittenhouse)
¾ ounce (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 strawberry, halved
½ ounce (15 ml) simple syrup (page 241)
2 to 3 ounces (60 to 90 ml) chilled ginger beer (page 247)
2 dashes Angostura bitters, for garnish
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Muddle lemon juice and half a strawberry in a mixing glass. Add ice, bourbon, and simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with bitters, a lemon wheel, and half a strawberry.