Lynchburg Lemonade
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 17.2% ABV ∙
Lynchburg Lemonade is a built highball of Tennessee whiskey, orange liqueur, fresh lemon juice, and lemon-lime soda, named for Jack Daniel's hometown. Fizzy and bright with a tart edge, it drinks light and refreshing despite a solid backbone, finishing crisp and faintly sweet over melting ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the chilled glass: Tennessee whiskey 40 mlTriple sec 25 mlLemon juice 25 mlLemon-lime soda 50 ml
- Fill the glass with ice
- Garnish with a lemon slice
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass before building so the drink stays cold without over-diluting from melting ice.
- Pour the soda in last and fill with ice after, so it stays fizzy instead of going flat from stirring.
- Squeeze the lemon juice fresh — bottled juice flattens the tart edge that balances the whiskey and triple sec.
History
Lynchburg Lemonade was created in 1980 by Tony Mason, owner of a restaurant and lounge in Huntsville, Alabama, who named it for Lynchburg, Tennessee, the home of the Jack Daniel's distillery. Mason mixed Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey with triple sec, a sour mix, and lemon-lime soda, and served it to customers in mason jars at his bar.
The drink became the center of a legal dispute after a Jack Daniel's sales representative allegedly learned Mason's recipe and the distillery began promoting it as a Jack Daniel's cocktail. Mason sued for misappropriation of trade secrets in the 1987 case Mason v. Jack Daniel Distillery, arguing he had kept the formula confidential among his own bartenders. The case cemented the drink's association with the Jack Daniel's brand even as its origin remained tied to Mason's own bar rather than the distillery itself.
FAQ
What alcohol is in Lynchburg Lemonade?
Lynchburg Lemonade is built on Tennessee whiskey, with a splash of triple sec adding extra alcohol and sweetness. The mix comes in at about 17.2% ABV, making it a lighter, sessionable highball rather than a strong spirit-forward drink.
What are the ingredients in Lynchburg Lemonade?
Tennessee whiskey, triple sec, fresh lemon juice, and lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7-Up, built over ice and garnished with a lemon slice.
How do you make a Lynchburg Lemonade?
Pre-chill a Collins glass, then pour the Tennessee whiskey, triple sec, lemon juice, and lemon-lime soda directly into it. Fill the glass with ice and garnish with a lemon slice. It is a build, not a shake or stir-and-strain, so everything combines right in the serving glass.
