The Lynchburg Lemonade is inextricably tied to Jack Daniel’s. It’s their official cocktail, even though it was invented in Florida by a bartender who was looking for something new and refreshing to serve his clientele back in 1980. History aside, this drink is made for hot and humid days that only an ice-cold boozy lemonade can cure.
We’re adhering to the official Jack Daniel’s recipe for this one. The gist of this cocktail is in the highball arena — it hems very close to drinks like a Tom Collins. The base is a mix of Jack Daniel’s, triple sec, and sour mix. That’s topped up with a lemon-lime soda (Sprite or 7-Up) and… that’s about it. It’s very easy to make over and over again, or in batches for a 4th of July bruhaha.
Since this is a build-in-the-glass mixer, we don’t really need any more preamble. Let’s get mixing!
Lynchburg Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 1-oz. Gentleman Jack
- 1-oz. triple sec
- 1-oz. sour mix*
- 4-oz. Sprite or 7-Up
- Ice
- Lemon wedge
For this recipe, I’m using Gentleman Jack. That’s mostly because I have that open at the moment. It’s also a perfectly fine version of the Tennessee whiskey with a creamy texture that sort of converts the lemon into a lemon cream pie in the finished drink.
The rest is pretty straightforward. I’m using Sprite, again, simply because that’s what I have around.
Lastly, if you want to make this in batches, the recipe is 1:1:1 mix. Add one cup of the Jack, triple sec, and sour mix to a pitcher over ice and top with Sprite or 7-Up. Chop up some lemon wedges and drop them in. Give it a good stir. Done.
*SOUR MIX: Add 1/2 cup simple syrup, 1/2 cup fresh and strained lemon juice (three to four lemons), and 1/4 cup fresh and strained lime juice (two to three limes) to a jar or bottle with a lid. Affix the lid and shake vigorously until fully emulsified (no more than ten seconds). It’s ready!
What You’ll Need:
- Highball glass or jar mug
- Jigger
- Paring knife
- Cutting board
- Straw
Method:
- Prechill your glass overnight.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Add the whiskey, triple sec, and sour mix to the glass. Stir with the straw.
- Top up with the 7-Up or Sprite and stir again.
- Cut a lemon wedge and garnish the glass.
- Serve.
Bottom Line:
Thinks takes me right back to Tennessee in the summer. It’s basically creamy lemon candy with a very slight echo of woody and vanilla-forward whiskey lurking in the background.
On a hot day, this is so crushable. It’s hard not to just down the first and make a secon within five minutes. It sounds like it’s thin or light but there is heft to drink. That creamy lemon pie, almost lemon meringue, comes through and helps this feel like more than a simple whiskey and soda.
That being said, these are on the sweeter side of the highball spectrum. Luckily, there’s enough orange, lemon, and lime citrus there to balance all that sweetness out.