Lemon

Esplanda Lemon is a lemon-flavored cocktail mixer, sold for building drinks rather than sipping on its own. The listing doesn't say whether it is a sweetened sour mix, a juice blend or a lemon cordial, so check the label for the ingredient list and sugar level. Lemon mixers in general lead with bright citrus acidity, usually rounded by some sweetness, with a fresh peel-like aroma. Use the label to decide how much sweetener to add or leave out of your recipes. The classic use is a whiskey sour. Shake about 2 oz bourbon or rye with roughly 1 oz of the mixer and plenty of ice, then strain into a chilled coupe or over fresh ice in a rocks glass. If the mixer is already sweetened, start with less than a recipe calling for fresh juice and simple syrup. Taste, then adjust. The same ratio works for a vodka or gin sour, and for a Tom Collins. For the Collins, build 2 oz gin and 1 oz mixer over ice in a tall glass and top with soda water. Lemon also suits a vodka-lemonade highball, a tequila-based Tom Collins variation, or an amaretto sour, where the acidity balances the sweet liqueur. Serve it cold. Keep the bottle refrigerated after opening, shake it before pouring, and pour over plenty of ice. Shaken drinks should get a hard 10 to 15 seconds with ice so the dilution softens the acidity. A highball or Collins glass suits long drinks, a rocks glass suits sours served on the rocks, and a chilled coupe suits sours served up. Without alcohol, it works in a still or sparkling lemonade. Add soda water or iced tea, and garnish with a lemon wheel or a twist of peel to bring back the aroma that bottled mixers can lose. It pairs well with grilled fish, fried foods and salty snacks, where the citrus cuts through richness.