Grilled Lemon Whiskey Sour

Grilled citrus is having a moment. I’ve seen it in a bunch of places recently, and I had to try it out. Is it all for show?

My next thought was – grilled lemon? Sounds perfect in a drink, something to keep me quenched while I do hard work over an open fire. Grilled whiskey sour, here we come!

So, is it worth grilling a lemon? Yes, yes it is. The heat of the grill caramelizes the lemon, adding sweetness to the sour citrus. Also, I was amazed by the ease of juicing a heated lemon. I was barely pressing on my lemon squeezer, and juice was squirting everywhere.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It *is* quite a show when you pull browned lemons off the grill and start mixing drinks with them. Your guests will think you’re a grilling wizard.

Thanks to my association with Knob Creek, I have a bottle of Knob Creek Rye Whiskey ready whenever I want to make this drink again.
Like, say, tonight, while I grill dinner? Sounds like the perfect time to me.

Recipe: Grilled Lemon Whiskey Sour

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes

Equipment

• Grill (I love my Weber Summit, but you don’t need a six burner supergrill for this recipe.)
• Cocktail shaker
• Rocks glass (or other short glass)

Ingredients (for one drink)

• 1/2 a lemon
• 2 ounces whiskey (Knob Creek rye whiskey, or use your favorite whiskey)
• 1 ounce simple syrup (see notes)
• Ice

Directions

1. Set the grill up for medium heat

Set the grill up for direct medium heat. On my Weber gas grill, I preheat the grill with all burners on high for ten to fifteen minutes, brush the grill grate clean, then turn the burners down to medium.

2. Grill the lemon

Grill the half lemon, cut side down, until it is browned and just showing a hint of black around the edge, about 3 minutes.

3. Shake and serve

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Juice the lemon into the shaker, add the whiskey and simple syrup, and shake well. Pour into a rocks glass full of ice, and serve.

Notes

• Simple syrup: heat 1 cup of water until boiling. (I do this in the microwave). Stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved. Cool to room temperature and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will last for about a month…but we use it up before then.
• Half a lemon? Of course I’m making two drinks. One for me, and one to share. Double everything, shake it all at once, and pour into two glasses.

What do you think?

Questions? Favorite drink recipes? Leave them in the comments section below.

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