A jockey box is an insulated container containing ice and water, as well as a long coil of hollow tubing. The device is used to cool beverages being served on tap in temporary locations.

One end of the coiled tube in the box is fitted to the external supply of the beverage to be served (often moved from the supply container by gas pressure, as in the case of beer in kegs), and the other end is attached to taps for serving the beverage, which are often integrated into the box itself. Filling the jockey box with ice and water cools the coiled tubing, and when the beverage flows through the tube, the beverage is cooled to a temperature just above freezing, even if it was at room temperature before it entered the box. This allows cold drinks to be served on tap in temporary and outdoor locations.

Apart from the coil and taps, the jockey box resembles a cool box. Some jockey boxes force the liquid through a solid cold plate rather than a coil of tubing.