Lynchburg Spritz
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 10.8% ABV ∙
The Lynchburg Spritz is a Tennessee whiskey highball built on whiskey, Amer Picon, lemon juice, and sugar syrup, shaken then topped with soda water. Bright and fizzy with a bittersweet edge, this pours crisp and tangy, finishing clean with a gentle warmth from a smooth whiskey backbone.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice: Tennessee whiskey 50 mlAmer Picon 20 mlLemon juice 20 mlSugar syrup 10 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Soda water
- Garnish with an orange wedge
Tips
- Measure the Amer Picon carefully — its bitter-orange intensity can easily overpower the whiskey if over-poured.
- Pre-chill the glass so the ice-filled build stays cold longer once the soda water tops it.
History
Lynchburg Spritz has no separately documented creation story of its own — no named bartender, bar, or year attaches to it in cocktail references, where it appears simply as a lighter, sparkling-wine-free riff built around Tennessee whiskey and Amer Picon rather than the original's lemon-lime soda and triple sec. It takes its name and base spirit directly from Lynchburg Lemonade, swapping in the French bittersweet aperitif and topping with soda water for a drier, more bitter finish instead of a sweeter citrus-soda highball.
Lynchburg Lemonade itself was created and named in 1980 by Tony Mason, a restaurant and lounge owner in Huntsville, Alabama, who called it after Lynchburg, Tennessee, the home of the Jack Daniel's distillery. The drink became the center of a widely reported 1987 trade-secret lawsuit, Mason v. Jack Daniel Distillery, after the company began nationally promoting the recipe it was accused of having obtained from him.
FAQ
What is a Lynchburg cocktail?
It is another name for the Lynchburg Spritz, a Tennessee whiskey highball brightened with Amer Picon and lemon juice, then topped with soda water. It is served long in a Collins glass over ice with an orange wedge, making it a lighter, fizzier way to drink Tennessee whiskey than a straight pour.
How do you make a Lynchburg Spritz?
Shake the Tennessee whiskey, Amer Picon, lemon juice, and sugar syrup hard with ice, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with soda water and garnish with an orange wedge; the shake chills and blends the citrus and sugar before the soda is added, so the fizz stays intact.
