Dating back to the 1890’s Horse’s Neck was a non-alcoholic mixture of ginger ale with lemon peel. By 1910 the addition of whiskey, brandy, or even gin would bring a spirited kick to this refreshing drink.

The cocktail degenerated into a non-alcoholic drink once again during Prohibition.

In his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David A. Embury refers to the cocktail as “great what-is-it of the highball tribe.”