By Rebekah Peppler, The New York Times
PARIS — Lemon is as versatile behind the bar as it is in the kitchen. From peel to juice, this sunny citrus can brighten and balance your cocktails.
“To put it as simply as possible, lemon is going to make alcohol more drinkable,” said Ei Cullina, the head bartender and assistant general manager at Nobody’s Darling in Chicago. “It kind of quiets the burn.”
Start with the juice: Freshly squeezed is best, but don’t stress about preparing it right before, said Cullina, who uses the pronouns they and them. Lemon juice that’s sat for a little while can “provide a slightly nicer flavor,” they said. But for flavors that pop but aren’t overly bitter, just aim to use it the same day it’s squeezed.
Then, to mix in that juice, remember a simple refrain: often shaken, rarely stirred. Citrus and alcohol have different densities, and a good shake helps them mingle. The ice also incorporates air, transforming the individual ingredients into a frothy, light and refreshing cocktail.
Lemon juice is a powerful ingredient, but the fruit’s yellow outer peel can be just as valuable, its fragrant oils adding their own flavor. To properly extract those oils, make sure to use clean citrus and really twist the peel before swiping it along the inside of the glass, Cullina said. Doing so means the oils will be released more slowly as you drink.
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You can also always deploy a lemon-based spirit, such as limoncello (which you can buy or make at home). Cullina often adds a bit to the sugar-rimmed lemon drop cocktail (named for the candy) to pump up the drink’s flavor. Or try lemon sorbet, as in the Italian Sgroppino, a slushy, crowd-pleasing cocktail, where its acidity and sweetness offset vodka’s bite. A final hit of zest on top lends an immediate lemon aroma.
For a refreshing drink that is reminiscent of, yet far removed from, the spiked six packs of yore, try your hand at homemade hard lemonade by combining lemon juice and simple syrup with vodka (or limoncello) and top with sparkling water. Other lemon-forward drinks that Cullina frequently reaches for are the Bee’s Knees, a simple sour made with gin, lemon juice and honey, or the sugar-rimmed sidecar, made with cognac, lemon juice and orange liqueur.
If you run out of lemons, reach for lime, then correct the balance of your drink. Limes have a sharper, denser texture and a little more acidity, so you’ll need to increase the sweetness. You can also use half lemon and half lime juice. (Reserve orange and grapefruit for another cocktail. Neither has enough acidity to stand in for lemon.)
Deploy the whole fruit to add tart complexity — from acidity and astringency to sourness and floral notes — to your next drink.
“Lemon is truly just a nonnegotiable ingredient behind the bar,” Cullina said.
Recipe: Hard Lemonade
Hard lemonade. Lemon is an easy way to balance cocktails, as in this hard lemonade that’s both reminiscent of and far removed from the six packs of yore. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)
By Rebekah Peppler
This recipe is far removed from the spiked six packs of yore. The cocktail’s hard lemon base is a combination of fresh lemon juice, vodka or limoncello, simple syrup and a pinch of flaky sea salt. The salt serves to enhance, balance and brighten, while a final topping of bubbly soda water lengthens and elevates. When choosing between vodka or limoncello, follow your palate. Vodka offers a more straightforward flavor. The limoncello variation is sweeter — though nothing approaching cloying — and a bit more complex.
Yield: 1 drink
Total time: 8 minutes
Ingredients
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce vodka or limoncello
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Pinch flaky salt
Ice
3 to 4 ounces soda water, chilled
Lemon wedge or wheel, for serving
Preparation
1. In a shaker, combine the lemon juice, vodka or limoncello, simple syrup and salt. Add ice and shake until well chilled. Fill a rocks glass with ice. Strain the cocktail into the glass and top with soda water. Garnish with the lemon wedge or wheel.
Recipe: Sgroppino
Sgroppino. In a slushy and crowd-pleasing Sgroppino, lemon sorbet cuts through vodka’s burn. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)
By Rebekah Peppler
Traditionally, a Sgroppino is an Italian palate cleanser, though it’s equally as suitable served as a cocktail or dessert. Whatever time of day you choose to make this boozy, lemony combination, you’ll want to drink it quickly once it’s in front of you. The slushy, lightly fizzy texture comes from a combination of sorbet, vodka and prosecco — but, if you have another dry, light sparkling wine, that works well, too.
Yield: 1 drink
Total time: 8 minutes
Ingredients
3 ounces (about 2 medium-size scoops) good-quality lemon sorbet (a scant 1/2 cup)
1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce limoncello
2 ounces prosecco or sparkling wine
Finely grated lemon zest, to finish
Preparation
1. In a small, chilled bowl, add the sorbet, vodka, limoncello and 1 ounce prosecco. Whisk gently just until smooth. Pour into a rocks or Nick and Nora glass (or any kind, really), preferably chilled, and top with remaining 1 ounce prosecco. Garnish with freshly grated lemon zest and serve immediately.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.