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Whiskey lemonade is an easy, refreshing drink for any season! Make it with homemade or purchased lemonade and any type of whiskey.

Whiskey Lemonade
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Looking for a whiskey drink you can make in 2 minutes? Try Whiskey Lemonade! This zippy cocktail is perfect for any season, and it’s as easy as two ingredients: whiskey and lemonade! Make it with homemade lemonade for best citrusy zing, or the purchased version when you need a quick cocktail mixer. Either way, it’s full of sweet tart flavor…almost like a makeshift whiskey sour!

Ingredients for whiskey lemonade

Yep, this is a two ingredient cocktail: just whiskey and lemonade! But there are a few things to note about the quality and type of each ingredient:

Just like any drink, the type of whiskey you select makes the drink taste different! Irish whiskey has a light, mellow flavor that makes for a milder drink. Rye whiskey is strong and adds a spicy finish to the finish. Bourbon adds notes of vanilla, oak and caramel.

Whiskey and lemonade

Homemade lemonade has great flavor

For the very best version of Whiskey Lemonade, make it with homemade lemonade! The bright zing of the citrus makes it taste infinitely more refreshing. You can make an entire pitcher of homemade lemonade, or you can make a single serving. Head to Homemade Lemonade and search for “by the glass” to make only one serving.

Vary the lemonade ratio to make different drinks

We tried this Whiskey Lemonade with two different lemonade ratios, and we liked them both! Essentially, you can make two different drinks with the same two ingredients. (Change up the whiskey types and you have infinite more variations!) Here’s the basic idea:

  • 2:1 ratio: Use 4 ounces lemonade to 2 ounces whiskey for a more boozy flavor. This version tastes a bit more like a lowball cocktail.
  • 3:1 ratio: Use 6 ounces lemonade to 2 whiskey for a more balanced lemonade flavor. This one is easier for sipping and tastes a little more summery.
Whiskey lemonade

It almost tastes like a makeshift whiskey sour

This Whiskey Lemonade is pretty darn close to a Whiskey Sour! So close, in fact, that you can grab purchased lemonade if you can’t find sour mix. We love the idea of using lemonade instead of purchased sour mix, which can be syrupy sweet. Of course, the true antidote to that is our Whiskey Sour Mix…but we digress.

More easy whiskey drinks

There are lots of easy whiskey mixers that come together into quick 2 ingredient whiskey drinks! Here are a few more we love:

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Whiskey Lemonade

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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 to 6 ounces (1/2 to 3/4 cup) homemade lemonade or purchased lemonade
  • 2 ounces (¼ cup) whiskey
  • Ice, for serving
  • Cocktail cherry, for garnish

Instructions

  1. For a glass: In a glass, pour in the lemonade and whiskey. Add ice and garnish with a cocktail cherry if desired.
  2. For a pitcher: Add 6 cups lemonade and 2 cups whiskey to a pitcher. Add ice and serve.

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About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi! We’re Sonja and Alex Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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2 Comments

  1. Lisa says:

    made both ratios tonight. both were excellant and easy. Will definitely make again. my husband had 3.

  2. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!