Ingredient
Lemon
The acid backbone of half the cocktail canon — fresh lemon juice and a length of peel are non-negotiable in toddies, sours and mulled drinks.
Flavour profile
Lemon is the workhorse acid of the whole winter cocktail shelf. A squeeze of fresh juice in a toddy or sour does the lifting that no other ingredient can; bottled lemon juice flattens over a week and is almost never worth the small saving. The peel is just as useful — a strip dropped into a warming pan releases oils into the drink as it warms, and a twist over a finished cocktail is the difference between competent and considered.
Recipes featuring lemon
Hot Toddy
The classic warm whisky cocktail with honey, lemon and spice — soothing, simple and built for cold nights.
Hot Whisky Sour
A warming twist on the classic, with whisky, fresh lemon, honey syrup and hot water finished with cinnamon, no egg required.
Mulled Wine
The English Christmas classic — red wine warmed with citrus, sugar and winter spice, often lifted with a measure of brandy or port.
Glühwein
The classic German mulled wine — red wine gently warmed with orange, cinnamon and clove. The defining drink of the Christmas market.