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Gin Rickey (Low Calorie Gin Cocktail)

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updated: 02/19/26

5 from 1 vote
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This Gin Rickey Recipe is the less sweet and lower calorie version of the Gin and Tonic you love. It’s a delicious simple low calorie cocktail that you could make so many different variations of.

a tall glass with ice filled with a gin rickey, garnished with a lime wedge and with a metal straw

It seems like the older I get the more I’m looking for cocktails that are delicious and refreshing, but aren’t overly sweet. That is, perhaps, why I love this Gin Rickey so very much. A highball drink that dates back to the 1900s, you just can’t go wrong with the classic gin rickey recipe.

It also doesn’t hurt that doesn’t break the calorie bank for just one cocktail. This delicious gin rickey recipe is only 138 calories per glass. It is the perfectly low calorie gin cocktail. You will love the cool crisp taste of this delicious drink!

How to Make a Gin Rickey

A gin rickey is as simple as filling a high ball glass with ice, adding gin and lime juice, and then topping it with club soda. It couldn’t be easier to make.

club soda being poured into a gin rickey

Gin for Gin Rickey

  • My number one pick for gin is always Bombay Sapphire. It is just a personal preference, and fortunately it tends to be on the lower end when it comes to price.
  • If you are looking to go all out for gin, you will want to consider Monkey 47. It is a high end gin.
  • If you want to get quality gin at a lower price point, look at Hendrick’s and Tanqueray.

Gin and Tonic Vs. Gin Rickey

As I mentioned, a Gin Rickey cocktail is basically just the lighter, lower calorie version of the Gin and Tonic. Instead of using tonic water, which is sweetened, we are using club soda. Then to add another layer of flavor, we are adding some fresh lime juice.

Variations and Substitutions

  • Use flavored sparkling water instead of club soda. There are some really great flavors out there that will pair perfectly with the lime and gin.
  • In summertime, juice up a watermelon! Lime and watermelon go great together as we know from my Watermelon Margarita. Throwing in a splash of watermelon juice here is a fun way to change it up.
  • Muddle some fruit with the lime juice. Not only will it add some fun flavor to your drink, it will add a bit of color. Strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries would all be great choices.
close up view of a gin rickey cocktail in a tall glass garnished with a lime wedge

If you try this amazing gin cocktail or any of my other drinks, leave me a comment and let me know!

a tall glass with ice filled with a gin rickey, garnished with a lime wedge and with a metal straw
5 from 1 vote

Gin Rickey Recipe

Author: Lisa Longley
Serves: 1 cocktail
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
This Gin Rickey Recipe is the less sweet lower calorie version of the Gin and Tonic you love! It’s a delicious simple cocktail that you could make so many different variations of.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin I love Bombay Saphire
  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • 3 ounces club soda chilled

Instructions

  • Combine the gin and lime juice in a high ball glass filled with ice.
  • Top with club soda. Stir to combine.
Serving: 1cocktail Calories: 138kcal (7%) Carbohydrates: 2g (1%) Protein: 0.1g Fat: 0.02g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g Sodium: 19mg (1%) Potassium: 36mg (1%) Fiber: 0.1g Sugar: 0.5g (1%) Vitamin A: 14IU Vitamin C: 9mg (11%) Calcium: 8mg (1%) Iron: 0.1mg (1%)
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
a tall glass with ice filled with a gin rickey, garnished with a lime wedge and with a metal straw

did you make this

Gin Rickey Recipe

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Lisa is the founder of Simple Joy. Lisa, is a self taught cook and avid lover of all things food, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the last 10 years Lisa has been reading cookbooks, experimenting in the kitchen, and learning everything she possibly can about cooking. The result has been the ability to create recipes, both classics and new twists, that readers fall in love with and make with ease. Lisa loves not only providing delicious and easy recipes, but also giving the why behind what we are doing in the kitchen. She gets such great joy in sharing my love for food.

Lisa has been featured in many media outlets. These outlets include Country Living, Real Simple, Today, Parade, Good Housekeeping, Buzzfeed, Delish, Elle, and many others.

Prior to becoming a food creator, Lisa was a social worker. She received her master’s in social work from the University of Milwaukee and worked in child welfare.

Lisa is the mom to four amazing kids: Gavin, Elliot, Quinn, and Piper. Gavin, Quinn, and Piper are happy, amazing kids she loves spending time with.

Her husband, Nathan, is her partner in life and in business. He is her rock in more ways than one and supports all of her crazy dreams.

Lisa and Nathan lost their second child, Elliot, when he was 8 days old. If you want to know more about Elliot, you can read it here. If you want to read more of Lisa’s experience of grief, you can read this post.

Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote

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  1. Meredith A DeVoe says

    5 stars
    I do love this but I usually load it up with a lot more soda water.

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