This is a cocktail that can be found under several names, all of which have something or other to do with a horse. Don't ask me why.
It's similar to a Moscow Mule, can be transformed into "The Horsefeather" simply by replacing lime with lemon, and if you use brandy and ginger ale instead of bourbon and ginger beer, it's called "The Horse's Neck."
Let's just call it delicious and leave it at that.

📖 Recipe
The Quarter Horse Cocktail
The Quarter Horse Cocktail is a delicious blend of bourbon, ginger beer, lime juice cordial, and angostura bitters.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 4 oz ginger beer
- 1 oz Rose's lime juice cordial (See notes below)
- 2-3 dashes angostura bitters
Instructions
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to mix. Pour it over the ice and garnish with a slice of lime if desired.
Notes
Most recipes for this cocktail call for fresh lime and sugar syrup. I've found that you can replace both with Rose's Lime Juice, simplifying the recipe slightly. But...
I know there are a lot of people who don't like Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. (For my whole diatribe about why I think the haters should just relax, click over to this recipe for Pomegranate Margaritas.) Most people don't like it because it contains corn syrup. I have two things to say about that:
- There's only 1 ounce of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, which is hardly anything to be too alarmed about.
- Only the Rose's Lime Juice that's made in the USA includes corn syrup. The UK and Canadian versions are made with real sugar.
Thanks to the wonders of online shopping, you can easily get your hands on the sugar-made version by ordering it online: Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial.
Substitutions for Rose's Lime Juice Cordial:
If you don’t really want to bother with Rose’s Lime Juice at all, no worries. Whipping up a batch of homemade lime cordial is super easy:
- Add 1 cup (250g) sugar, 8oz water, 2oz lime juice, 2oz lime peel, and 1oz citric acid in a blender.
- Blend for about 30 seconds, strain, bottle and refrigerate.
You can also just increase the amount of fresh lime juice and add a few ounces of simple syrup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 18gProtein: 0g
Mick94117 says
Please say “combine all ingredients in a mixing glass” and not a “cocktail shaker” lest a novice may miss the “stir to mix” instruction and shake the carbonated ginger beer in a Boston shaker which would make a sealed mixing glass explode.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Haha! Great advice, Mick. The recipe has been adjusted. 🙂