Get Drunk With A Kentucky Buck

The bourbon is gone now. (Photo: Claire Lower)

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making a basic buck with a good amount of very strong bourbon.

This Dark And Stormy Week Calls For A Dark 'N' Stormy Cocktail

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we’re making the rum-heavy Dark ‘n’ Stormy, because this week has been, for lack of a better phrase, total garbage.

You may not have heard of a buck before, but you have probably had one. A buck is simply a beverage with booze, citrus and ginger beer, and it is delicious.

The Moscow mule is the most famous example, but why use vodka when you could use 100-proof bourbon? (You could also use a weaker bourbon, but again, why?) Some Kentucky bucks contain strawberries and bitters, but I’ve always found muddling to be messy, and ginger and lemon to be more than enough, flavour-wise.

To make one of your own, you will need:

45ml of 100-proof bourbon
22ml fresh lemon juice
Ginger beer to top

Pour bourbon and lemon juice into a highball, give it a little stir, and fill the glass with ice. Top with ginger beer, and garnish with a lemon wheel. Sip through a straw, and repeat as needed.