A buck is a cocktail that is made with ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and any of a number of base liquors.^[1] Buck cocktails are sometimes called "mules" due to the popularity of a vodka buck that is known as a Moscow mule.

Quick Facts Cocktail, Type ...

Buck

Cocktail
Type	Cocktail family
Common alcohol(s)	Gin Bourbon whiskey Scotch whisky Tennessee whiskey Whiskey Brandy Pisco Vodka Rum
Served	On the rocks: poured over ice
Standard garnish	Any common garnish may be used
Standard drinkware	Collins glass
Commonly used ingredients	ginger beer for a classic buck, deeper more complex cocktail, or ginger ale, for a neutral/sweet, dive bar style buck. Lime or other citrus juice
Preparation	May be mixed or muddled if mint, syrups, or fresh fruit is added; shaken vigorously with ice, then strained into the glass. Topped with ginger ale or ginger beer.

Close

The buck is believed to have gotten its name when someone added a shot of whiskey to the previously nonalcoholic Horse's Neck, which consisted of ginger ale with lemon juice. The added alcohol gave the horse a "kick" – hence, a bucking horse.^[2]

Variations include:

• Bourbon, rye, or whiskey buck.^[1]
• Kentucky Buck, containing bourbon and strawberry.^[3][4][5][6]
• Gin buck, containing gin. Sometimes known as British Buck or London Buck.^[7][8]
• Gin Gin Mule, containing gin and mint.^[9][10] Also known as a Ginger Rogers^[11][12] (after the actress of the same name.)
• Irish buck, containing Irish whiskey^[13]
• Mamie Taylor, containing scotch whisky.^[14][15][16]
• Rum buck, also called a Barbados buck or Jamaican buck to indicate the origin of the rum. Adding lime to a Dark 'n' Stormy creates a rum buck.^[1]
• Shanghai buck, made with light rum, and served at the Shanghai Club in the 1930s.^[1]
• Vodka buck, also known as a Moscow mule, invented in Los Angeles, California, US, and largely responsible for the popularity of vodka in the United States from the 1940s through 1960s.^[1]
• Chilcano, made with Pisco.^[17][18]
• Variations using brandy and other liquors^[1]
• Addition of syrups, different types of juice, fresh ginger, mint, and various garnishes^[1]

•  Liquor portal
• List of cocktails