Horse's Neck
A stately brandy highball spiraled with a long lemon peel that curls over the glass like a horse's neck — refreshing, aromatic, and endlessly elegant.
Ingredients
- 2 oz brandy (or bourbon)
- Ginger ale, to top
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Long spiral lemon peel, to garnish
Instructions
- 1Peel an entire lemon in one continuous spiral and drape it inside a highball glass.
- 2Fill with ice and add brandy and bitters.
- 3Top with ginger ale and stir gently.
Origin & Story
The Horse's Neck originally appeared as a non-alcoholic ginger ale and lemon drink before bartenders started adding brandy (and later whiskey) in the early 1900s. The spectacular spiral lemon peel — peeled from a whole lemon in a single unbroken strip and draped over the rim of the glass — is both functional (it releases lemon oil into the drink) and theatrical, explaining why the presentation became the drink's most recognizable feature.
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