Whether it’s the height of summer or the middle of winter, lemonade is a great way to inject a little citrusy sunshine into your life. But did you know it also makes for a fantastic gin mixer?

And it goes beyond simply swapping lemonade for tonic in your G&T (G&L, anyone?). Lemonade and gin make a mouthwatering duo in cocktails too. Give the gin and lemonade cocktails listed below a go and you will know just what we mean.

In this feature, we are not only sharing some of the best gin and lemonade cocktail recipes, but we are also taking a look at why gin and lemonade work so well together.

And if you scroll right to the bottom, you can find out how many calories are in a gin and lemonade. The answer may surprise you!

Do gin and lemonade go together?

Is Gin And Lemonade good? The short answer is: YES, gin and lemonade are great together!

Gin and lemonade work so well because the sweet-tart citrusy flavour profile of the lemonade makes for a delicious contrast to the rich, earthy juniper-led flavour profile of the gin.

Together, they provide you with a drinking experience that is layered and complex, with a delectable mix of deep notes and bright tones that are perfect for summer cocktails and just as sumptuous throughout the rest of the year too.

Is gin better with tonic or lemonade?

Both tonic and lemonade can work really well with gin, so it’s hard to say which is “better”. The answer is completely down to personal taste.

Lemonade can be a great alternative mixer for gin, for people who don’t like the bitterness of quinine, which is a key ingredient in tonic.

So if you prefer a sweeter, more citrusy drink, then you may enjoy lemonade with gin more than tonic water. However, if you enjoy a bitter-leaning, light and bubbly drink then you may prefer tonic to lemonade.

There are no wrong answers!

Best gin with lemonade?

London dry gin, pink gin and sloe gin are the types of gin most commonly mixed with lemonade.

However, lemonade is a very versatile mixer. It can work well with almost any gin, including Navy Strength and Old Tom gin.

The best way to find your favourite type of gin to mix with lemonade is to experiment. Our recommendation is to start with London dry and go from there.

What is gin and lemonade called?

A cocktail that mixes only gin and lemonade is most often called a “Gin and Lemonade” also written “Gin & Lemonade”, in the same way that a mix of gin and tonic is called a “Gin and Tonic” or “G&T”.

Gin and lemonade is also sometimes referred to as a “London Lemonade”. This is because of the use of London dry gin in the cocktail.

And if you are on holiday looking for a gin and lemonade, gin and lemonade in Spanish is “ginebra y limonada”.

How to serve a gin and lemonade?

Before you get into gin and lemonade cocktails like the ones you can find below, we recommend giving this simple gin and lemonade serving suggestion a go.

It’s a great alternative to G&T if you aren’t a fan of tonic or if you simply want a break from that classic gin mixer.

Simple gin and lemonade serving suggestion:

50ml gin
200ml lemonade
Slice of fresh lemon, to garnish

Add the gin and lemonade to a glass filled with ice. Garnish, serve and enjoy!

There are lots of alternatives you can do for this simple serve.

Why not try swapping the gin to make a sloe gin and lemonade serve, with a garnish of lime instead of the lemon used here, or swapping to rose lemonade and pink gin?

The pink gin to lemonade ratio is 1:4 (one part pink gin to four parts lemonade), the exact same as the ratio given in the recipe above.

There are as many possibilities as there are types of gin and types of lemonade. It’s up to you to find your favourite but stick to the ratio above and you won’t go far wrong.

And while you’re at it, you simply must give these gin and lemonade cocktails a go too…

10 of the best gin and lemonade cocktail recipes:

Craft Gin Club’s Gin Daffodil

This simple and oh-so-easy gin and lemonade cocktail recipe was originally created for Craft Gin Club’s April 2022 Gin of the Month box. It’s a mix of craft gin, traditional lemonade and Craft Gin Club’s bespoke Daffodil Cocktail Syrup. Simply garnish with a blackberry and a strip of rhubarb and you are good to go.

Find the full recipe here!

Craft Gin Club’s Summer Down Under

Zesty and bright, this fruity lime lemonade and gin cocktail pairs London dry gin with a bubbly lime lemonade and Craft Gin Club’s bespoke Summer Down Under Cocktail Syrup. Finished with watermelon, it is a stunner!

Find the full recipe here…

Whipped Lemonade

Whipped lemonade has become something of a trend sensation in recent years. Our boozy version turns this frozen drink into a gloriously creamy lemonade and gin recipe - and it’s the first recipe on this list that shows you how to make a lemonade from scratch. All you have to do is blend fresh lemon juice, condensed milk, coconut cream and gin with lots of ice. Whipped cream for garnish and hey-presto…

Find the full recipe here!

Pink Lemonade Sunrise

Gin and pink lemonade are a match made in heaven, and this cocktail proves it. All you have to do is stir the gin and pink lemonade with lemon juice and ice in a rocks glass before adding grenadine, which will sink to the bottom and give you a beautiful two-tone colour effect.

Get the full recipe here!

Strawberry Gin & Basil Lemonade Smash

This combination of Sicilian lemonade, gin, fresh strawberries and fresh basil leaves is a fragrant and citrusy symphony of British and Mediterranean flavours that are sure to impress any gin cocktail fan. The recipe will have you whipping up a quick strawberry syrup and muddling the basil leaves to release their aromas. Yum!

Find the full recipe here!

Pink Gin & Raspberry Lemonade

Raspberry lemonade and pink gin make for a gorgeous duo in this fruity pink cocktail recipe. The luscious fresh raspberries, which a muddled in this recipe, and the optional addition of limoncello, really make this cocktail sing. It’s easy to make at home, so give it a go!

Find the full recipe here!

Pink Grapefruit & Gin Lemonade

Grapefruit fans, this one is for you! The bitter-tart citrus zing of grapefruit is a tasty addition to the usual mix of gin and lemonade. What’s more, this cocktail recipe is really versatile and works great with fizzy lemonade, cloudy lemonade and pink lemonade - so take your pick and get mixing!

Find the full recipe here…

Elderflower & Lemon Gin and Juice

Elderflower, gin and lemonade are the best of friends and they make a wonderfully summery trio when mixed in this cocktail recipe. All that you have to do to make this taste of the British countryside is mix gin, lemonade and elderflower liqueur in a highball glass with ice and garnish with fresh lemon. Et voila!

Get the recipe here!

Masterpiece

This gin and rose lemonade cocktail recipe has touches of sloeberry and elderflower tones that are simply divine. And with a garnish of fresh cucumber and pink peppercorns, it’s so refreshing and zesty. We cannot get enough - fans of rose lemonade will really love this beauty!

Get the full recipe here…

Sundower Daisy

Inspired by the classic Lemon, Lime & Bitters cocktail served throughout Australia, this punchy lemonade and gin cocktail takes things to the next level. Of course, there is lemonade and lime juice and bitters, as you might expect, but new citrus tones are added in the form of Cointreau and the gin adds a complexity that is rich and scrumptious. Give it a try!

Get the full recipe here…

How many calories in gin and lemonade?

The amount of calories in gin and lemonade can vary depending on the brand of lemonade and whether your gin is London dry, a flavoured gin or another type of gin, and how much gin you use.

Remember, a 25ml portion of London dry gin usually comes in at around 54 calories. You can find out more about the calories in gin here.

myfitnesspal suggests that your generic gin and lemonade should contain around 165 calories per 250ml serving.

They also suggest that a pink gin and diet lemonade should contain around 72 calories per 250ml serving.