Recipes

HORSE'S NECK COCKTAIL

Horse Necks Cocktail

Horse's Neck Cocktail

From the St. Kilian "Classic Whisky Cocktails" Series

Ingredients

Preparation of the Horse's Neck Cocktail:

As in the classic recipe, the drink is mixed directly in the glass . We chose a tumbler as the glass (a highball glass will also do, of course). 

First pour ice, whisky, ginger ale and orange bitters into the glass. Stir with a bar spoon and then garnish with the grapefruit zest. 

The result is a wonderfully refreshing and spicy classic.

A classic bourbon cocktail with a long history

Few cocktails are as relaxed and easy as the Horse's Neck. Bourbon whiskey or brandy, ginger ale and two or three dashes of bitters, plus a citrus peel hanging cheekily over the rim of the glass. The classic is ready. But where does this forefather of some of the most famous long drinks actually come from?

Over 100 years ago - whisky long drinks are created

The first written records of the Horse's Neck Cocktail can be found in Harry Johnson's Bartenders Manual from 1900, in which the New York bartender Harry Johnson diligently collected cocktail recipes of his time, gave tips on handling drinks and listed important duties of a bartender. 

That the drink was included in the 1900 edition suggests that it must have appeared in New York bars in the 1890s. What is remarkable, however, is the somewhat woolly wording of the recipe. According to Johnson, whiskey, rye, Scotch or Irish whiskey can be used. This makes a big difference in taste, not only for whiskey connoisseurs. The measurements in the recipe were also somewhat adventurous from today's perspective.

Horse's Neck Cocktail from Harry Johnson's Bartenders Manual, 1900:

(freely translated from English)

  • Preparing the drink in a large felt glass
  • Peel a lemon in a long strip and put it in the glass so that the end hangs over the edge of the glass.
  • Two or three Spitzer Bitters (Boker 's Genuine)
  • A wine glass of Whiskey, Eye, Scotch or Irish Whiskey (as desired)
  • Add three or four ice cubes
  • Top up the drink with soda water or ginger ale to taste.

Of course, today cocktail recipes are structured more clearly, there are fixed units of measurement in centilitres or millilitres and drinks have become so individualised that a cocktail would have two different names if it were mixed once with rye and once with Irish whiskey. But it was around 1900 that the documentation of cocktail recipesbegan.

What would a classic Horse's Neck look like today?

For a classic Horse's Neck you need the following ingredients:

  • 5 cl classic bourbon (e.g. Maker 's Mark)
  • 2 dashes Angostura
  • approx. 12 cl ginger ale
  • One citrus peel (lemon or orange)

The drink is prepared directly in the glass. Put ice and bourbon in a highball glass and pour ginger ale over it. Then add two dashes of Angostura bitters. Stir the drink carefully with a bar spoon and garnish with the citrus zest. 

The Horse's Neck is an all-rounder that goes down very well in both summer and winter if you like a spicy complexity. It is wonderfully suitable for house parties, as it is mixed in just a few steps. The spicy sweetness of bourbon harmonises wonderfully with the sweet spiciness of the ginger ale and the citrus zest provides the necessary freshness. 

"If a horse comes to RĂŒdenau...."

Of course, we didn't miss out and created a variation with our whiskies for this classic:

Here you can find out more about our St. Kilian Whiskies!

To top