Italian Buck
Amaro and ginger beer over ice — the easiest bitter highball in the book.
Time
2 min
Difficulty
Easy
Glass
Collins
Method
Built
The Method
How to make it
- 01
Fill a Collins glass to the top with ice.
- 02
Add the amaro and lime juice.
- 03
Top with cold ginger beer.
- 04
Stir once from the bottom to lift the amaro through the drink.
- 05
Garnish with a lime wedge and a piece of candied ginger.
Bartender's Tip
The amaro you choose is the whole drink. Averna gives you cola and caramel, Ramazzotti gives you anise, Fernet-Branca gives you menthol and a much more serious cocktail — start at 1½ oz if you go the Fernet route.
A Little History
A "buck" (or mule) is any spirit lengthened with ginger beer and citrus — a template that goes back to the late 1800s and produced everything from the Moscow Mule to the Dark 'n' Stormy. The Italian Buck simply drops amaro into the slot where vodka or rum usually sits, and it's become the standard way American bartenders introduce skeptics to bitter liqueur: the ginger's heat and the lime's acid meet the amaro's root-and-caramel depth halfway.
