Horse's Neck
Cognac, ginger, quiet elegance.
Cognac and ginger ale over ice, with a long lemon spiral coiled around the glass. A simple, aromatic long drink in which the ginger fizz carries the roundness of the brandy.
- IBA · Contemporary Classics
- Long drink
- Built
- Glass
- Highball glass
- Method
- Built
- Strength
- Light
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- Cubes
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Cognac
40 ml
-
Ginger ale
120 ml
-
Angostura bitters (optional)
1 dash
Garnish
- Long lemon peel spiral
Proportions
How to make
- Set the long lemon peel spiral in the glass, letting one end hang over the rim.
- Fill the highball glass with ice.
- Pour the cognac.
- Top with the ginger ale.
- Stir gently.
- If you like, add a dash of Angostura.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
The name comes from the long spiral of lemon peel that curls out of the glass like a horse's neck. Specialist sources trace the drink to the 1890s, when it was non-alcoholic: ginger ale, ice, lemon peel and sometimes a dash of bitters. A 1903 episode recounted by historian William Grimes shows it was already familiar in New York, as its absence from an Equestrian Club party drew mockery in the society pages. Around 1910 drinkers began adding brandy or bourbon, ordering a "Horse's Neck with a Kick". In the twentieth century it often appeared on screen and, by tradition, became the drink of Royal Navy officers. No inventor is known.
Sources (5)
- Master of Malt — Cocktail of the Week: The Horse's Neck (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Punch — The Extras: How to Make a Horse's Neck Garnish (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Cocktail Society — Horse's Neck (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Difford's Guide — Horse's Neck with a Kick (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- IBA — Horse's Neck (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Bubbly
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
- Citrus
- 2 out of 5
- Spicy
- 2 out of 5