Gin Lemon
Simple, fresh, summery.
A highball at home in Italian bars: gin over ice lengthened with a sparkling lemon soda. Effortless and thirst-quenching, it is the sweeter, more citrusy cousin of the Gin & Tonic.
- Long drink
- Built
- Glass
- Highball glass
- Method
- Built
- Strength
- Light
- Time
- 2 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- Cubes
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
50 ml
-
Lemon soda
top up
Garnish
- Lemon slice
Proportions
How to make
- Fill a tall tumbler with ice.
- Pour the gin.
- Top up with lemon soda.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The Gin Lemon has no documented inventor, date or birthplace. It is not on the IBA list nor in the major international recipe books: it is a highball found mainly in Italy, ordered in bars, clubs and at summer parties, and made with gin and a sparkling lemon soda such as Lemonsoda or Schweppes Lemon. Some websites trace it to American Prohibition, when juices masked poor spirits, others to English sailors mixing gin and lemon against scurvy; these are generic tales, however, with no evidence tied to this specific drink. It is wiser to regard it simply as a popular combination.
Sources (4)
- Romeing — Gin Lemon, i segreti per prepararlo al meglio (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Viridian Gin — Gin lemon: la ricetta (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Winedharma — Come preparare il Gin Lemon perfetto (opens in a new tab) recipe
- Ricette Last Minute — Gin lemon (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Bubbly
- 4 out of 5
- Citrus
- 4 out of 5
- Fresh
- 4 out of 5
- Sweet
- 3 out of 5