Lemon Lime and Bitters
A refreshing, citrus and bubbly cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 0.8% ABV ∙
Lemon Lime and Bitters is an Australian nearly alcohol-free highball of lemonade, fresh lime juice and aromatic bitters, built over ice and served with a straw.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour into the ice-filled glass: Lime juice 15 mlLemonade 150 ml
- Briefly stir
- Angostura aromatic bitters 4 dashes onto the surface of the drink and serve with a straw so the drinker can stir in the bitters
- Garnish with a lime wedge
History
Lemon, Lime and Bitters is a nearly alcohol-free Australian drink made by combining lemonade, lime (juice or cordial), and Angostura-style bitters. Its exact origin is undocumented, but drink historians trace it to a predecessor called lemonade and bitters, a home remedy already known in Australia by the 1870s. Lime was added at some later point, with accounts ranging from the 1880s to as late as the 1980s, without the resulting drink ever gaining a distinct name of its own. The combination became closely associated with golf clubs in Australia and New Zealand, where it was long served as the non-alcoholic counterpart to Pink Gin, and it is now popularly regarded as Australia's unofficial national soft drink.
The format follows the Collins, the family of tall drinks built from a spirit, citrus, sugar, and soda; Lemon, Lime and Bitters simply drops the base spirit, so that the bitters alone supply its faint trace of alcohol.
FAQ
How do you make a Lemon Lime and Bitters cocktail?
Pour fresh lime juice and lemonade into an ice-filled glass and stir briefly, then dash aromatic bitters onto the surface and serve with a straw and a lime wedge so the drinker stirs the bitters in themselves.
What is in a Lemon Lime and Bitters?
150 ml lemonade, 15 ml fresh lime juice and four dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters. It contains no spirit; the bitters alone bring it to about 0.8% ABV.
What alcohol goes best with Lemon Lime and Bitters?
Vodka, gin or white rum, if you want to add one: their neutral or citrus-forward character does not fight the lime juice. As served, though, it has no spirit in it: only the bitters leave a trace of alcohol, about 0.8% ABV.
What is the best ratio for Lemon Lime and Bitters?
This recipe uses 15 ml of fresh lime juice to 150 ml of lemonade, about 1:10, finished with four dashes of bitters on top. The lime should stay in the background as a sour accent rather than competing with the lemonade's sweetness.