The so-called “cocktails” I drank in my undergrad days tended to be, to put it kindly, rudimentary. (Drink half a 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero; refill with Bacardi Limón rum. Yikes.) Yet even that simple combination of spirit and soda falls into the traditional category of the highball — and even two-ingredient cocktails can be surprisingly sophisticated.
Case in point? What I’ll call the Princeton Buck.
Dating back to the 19th century, the buck is a simple highball containing a spirit and either ginger ale or ginger beer, along with a squeeze of citrus. My favorite buck stars applejack — a lesser-known spirit that, in my opinion, should be considered the pride of New Jersey.
Laird & Company, in nearby Monmouth County, has been distilling applejack for centuries. A personal favorite of George Washington, Laird’s holds the very first federal distilling license — literally License No. 1 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury — issued in 1780. A blended apple brandy, it tastes something like a bourbon that was born in an apple orchard. (And for ease of campus mixing, it’s available at Public Wine, Beer and Spirits on Witherspoon; Wegmans; and Joe Canal’s.) Add ginger beer, lemon, and a big sprig of mint as a seasonal garnish, and you’ve got a bold, refreshing cocktail that’s as simple as they come.
Colonial-era history, Jersey pride, and a great time — everything you’d expect from Old Nassau, in a drink that’s classy enough to serve in proper glassware, but simple enough to pour out in red Solo cups for 300 classmates.
Princeton Buck
1½ ounces applejack (I highly recommend Laird’s)
4 ounces ginger beer (I recommend Fever-Tree, but any spicy brand will do)
Lemon wedge, for garnish
Mint sprig, for garnish
Combine applejack and ginger beer in a tall glass (or Solo cup) with ice. Stir briefly, then squeeze in a lemon wedge. Tap an attractive mint sprig gently against your hand to release its aromatics, and add to the drink as garnish. Straw optional.
Carey Jones ’08 is a food, travel, and spirits journalist who has written three cocktail books and for publications including Food + Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, The New York Times, and
The Washington Post.