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The first time I tried to order a Horsefeather cocktail outside of Kansas City was also the last. A spicier whiskey -based alternative to the Moscow Mule , the Horsefeather is built in a Collins glass with rye typically Old Overholt , ginger beer , a generous amount of Angostura bitters , and a lemon wedge. My introduction to the Horsefeather came in It was served in a double rocks glass without bitters or garnish, but it was still love at first zingy, sweet sip. Lawrence is a college town about 45 minutes west of Kansas City, known more for beer and basketball than classic cocktails.
My skepticism grew when my date, who was living in Lawrence at the time, was equally suspicious. As I continued to sip my way around Kansas City, I learned that nearly every bartender in town made some variation on the Horsefeather, but none of them could tell me where it came from. As expected, it was a hit, especially with out-of-town guests. Since he revived the historic J.
Before running a distillery, Maybee was a prominent local bartender, and like me, he originally assumed the Horsefeather had Prohibition era roots. When he began his research, he had yet to hear the Lawrence lore, so he dove headfirst into books and local newspaper archives. He even posited that, as a big Marx Brothers fan, he may have named the drink after the film by the same name. Perhaps it continued to evolve from there before Regan put it in his book.
There, Sidener told me, is where the seed was planted for the Horsefeather to become a regional phenomenon. But they figured that out too, by fashioning their own mock version with equal parts Sprite and soda water, a few dashes of Peychaud's bitters , and a splash of Coke. It was wildly popular, and as staff went to work at other bars in town, they added it to those menus. In the end, both men are just happy to see the Horsefeather pop up on bar menus in other parts of the country, as it has in Austin, Baltimore , and New Orleansβwhich means I might even attempt to order it outside of Kansas City again someday.
