20 Best Lemon Cocktails

To start off the list of great lemon cocktails: the Lemon Drop! This mixed drink is intensely sweet tart! Use citron vodka for the most lemony flavor: otherwise, regular vodka works. It’s festive and refreshing, with a lemon twist and sugar rim. (Scroll down for the recipe!)

Ingredients: Vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice, simple syrup

Here's a classic lemon cocktail: the whiskey sour! This one is an iconic drink that goes back centuries. Its flavor is perfectly balanced between sweet from maple syrup, tart from lemon, and boozy from the whiskey (we like to use bourbon).

Variations: Boston Sour (adds egg white)

Ingredients: Bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup or simple syrup

This ultra-strong lemon liqueur is often drunk as shots at the end of a meal. But ever tried it as a limoncello cocktail? This Limoncello Mojito is a way to make a uniquely refreshing drink with this famous citrus liqueur! Make it into this classic Cuban cocktail: its bright lemon flavor pairs perfectly with fresh mint and white rum. The limoncello adds a pure lemon flavor that’s impossible to get from lemon juice alone. Add ice and bubbles, and you’ve got a drink you won’t be able to stop sipping. 

The Sidecar is another classic lemon cocktail! It's one of the best classic sour cocktails of all time. Why? Taste it and you'll see. This drink is perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, and layered and complex: warm, crisp, dry, rich, and full at the same time.

Variations: Vodka Sidecar

Ingredients: Cognac, Cointreau, lemon juice

Here's another iconic lemon cocktail: the gin fizz! This classic cocktail features gin and lemon juice. It's got a classic egg white foam, and is topped off with soda water.

Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, soda water

The French 75 is a popular champagne drink that's also a lemon cocktail! It’s tangy, bubbly, and a bit botanical, and it makes every occasion more festive. The French 75 has a balanced, sweet tart flavor with lots of bubbles.

Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, champagne

Here’s a tasty refreshing lemon cocktail that’s perfect for summer, but works any time of year: Vodka Lemonade! Make up a pitcher of homemade fresh lemonade, then spike it with a little vodka. It comes out fresh and sweet tart, and very easy to drink. It’s so easy to drink, in fact, that you might have to be careful with this one! The vodka adds just the right boozy finish without too much spice. It’s great for entertaining, or for an afternoon refresher. 

Here's a spin on a margarita that's made into a lemon cocktail! This margarita swaps lemon juice for the classic lime. It makes a unique variation on that classic cocktail: and don't forget the salt rim!

Ingredients: Tequila, lemon juice, Cointreau

The Tom Collins is an iconic lemon cocktail that's a variation on the gin fizz! It's got more soda water, lots of ice, and skips the egg white foam. It's light, bubbly and perfectly sweet tart, typically served in a highball glass.

Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda water

This lemon cocktail has an intense lemon flavor and a zingy finish. Meet the limoncello martini! This sweet tart number is like a classic lemon drop martini, except it takes the lemon flavor up a notch by using the popular Italian liqueur. Take one sip and you’ll feel like you’re biting into a lemon…with none of that sour puckering flavor. It’s sweet tart and delicious, with a bit of a vibe of lemonhead candy. 

Some cocktails have a strong image, and the Long Island Iced Tea is one of them, right? It’s boozy, low-brow, and sickly sweet, with strong chain restaurant vibes. But have you tried a classic Long Island Iced Tea? Mixed up as intended, this drink will blow you away. Ditch the sour mix and Triple Sec in favor of fresh lemon and top shelf liquor. One sip and it’s zingy, sweet tart, nuanced and sophisticated. 

This whiskey smash is tangy and refreshing, featuring muddled lemon wedges, fresh mint, and soda water. It's like a citrusy spin on the mint julep! Or, a minty spin on the whiskey sour. Serve it with lots of crushed ice; it's perfect for summer.

Variations: Maple Bourbon Smash

Ingredients: Whiskey, lemon, fresh mint, simple syrup, soda water

The amaretto sour is also a lemon cocktail! This one is nothing like those syrupy versions with sour mix. This one is tangy and sweet tart, with a hint of almond from the amaretto that’s toned down by the secret ingredient: bourbon.

Ingredients: Amaretto, bourbon, lemon, simple syrup, egg white, bitters

Here’s a lemon cocktail that’s ideal for when temperatures rise: bourbon lemonade! Make up a big pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade, refreshing and sweet tart. Then swirl it with some bourbon in a glass so you get all that boozy, spicy finish to each sip. This one’s quick and easy, and we assure you: it goes down easy. 

Here’s a classic cocktail that’s as unique as its name…the Corpse Reviver No 2! To be honest, we were a little wary of this cocktail at first because of its moniker. But it turns out that the Corpse Reviver has nothing scary or ghoulish about it. In fact, it’s damn good. It’s a classic gin sour cocktail that’s tart and zingy from lemon juice and orange liqueur, with a hint of licorice on the finish. It’s truly a stunner…and the name will impress all your friends.

The Cosmo is a lemon cocktail, too! This vibrant pink drink is sweet tart, made perfectly citrusy by lemon. It gets its vibrant color from cranberry juice.

Ingredients: Vodka, 100% cranberry juice, lemon juice, Cointreau, simple syrup

Here’s a smooth, citrus forward lemon cocktail with a sophisticated vibe: the White Lady! This 1920’s style sour is clear and crisp, featuring lemon, gin, and a frothy egg white foam topping. It’s super classy, perfect for a cocktail night or just sipping on the porch.

Ingredients: Gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, egg white

This variation on the Whiskey Sour may be our favorite lemon cocktail: the New York Sour! There's a whiskey sour layer: sweet tart and perfectly balanced with lemon juice and syrup. Then float a layer of red wine over the top and it adds intrigue, complexity and a fruity acidity. Not to mention it looks simply stunning with the bright two-toned layer!

Ingredients: Bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup or simple syrup, red wine

Here's a unique lemon cocktail: the Southside! It’s minty, fresh, and botanical, made with lemon, lime, and gin. The best way to describe it? A Mojito with gin!

Variations: Southside Fizz, Sake Southside

Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh mint, simple syrup

Here’s a lemon cocktail that’s made for celebration or sipping on the porch: a St Germain champagne cocktail! It features sunny citrus with elderflower notes from the St Germain. It’s sophisticated and refreshing: floral, botanical, tangy, and bubbly all at once.

Ingredients: St Germain, Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, champagne

The tequila sour is a delightfully refreshing lemon cocktail with a frothy foam topping! It’s a mashup of a 1920’s sour cocktail with a margarita, starring tequila and lemon juice (with a little lime thrown in).

Variations: Vodka Sour

Ingredients: Vodka, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, egg white