Mixologist Carey Jones ’08 Created a Cocktail for Reunions 2024

Cool off on a hot day at Reunions with the Princeton Buck.

Photo: PAW staff

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. 

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Carey Jones ’08 has mixed business with cocktails for nearly two decades.

Photo: Zofia Crosby

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.