Sipwise

Preserved Lemon Tonic

A savory-tart mocktail using North African preserved lemon brine with tonic and mint — unusual and genuinely delicious.

More drinks like this
Preserved Lemon Tonic cocktail made with none, served in a rocks glass
Base
none
Glassware
Rocks glass
Flavor Profile
sourherbalrefreshing

Ingredients

  • 0.5 oz preserved lemon brine (from a jar of Moroccan preserved lemons)
  • 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 oz honey syrup
  • Tonic water, to top
  • 5 fresh mint leaves
  • Lemon wheel, to garnish

Instructions

  1. 1Gently slap mint leaves and place in a rocks glass.
  2. 2Add preserved lemon brine, fresh lemon juice, and honey syrup with ice.
  3. 3Top with tonic water and stir gently.
  4. 4Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Origin & Story

North Africa and Middle East, modern bar adaptation

Preserved lemons — lemons fermented in salt and their own juice — are a cornerstone of Moroccan and Middle Eastern cooking, and their intensely concentrated, savory-citrus brine turns out to be a remarkable mocktail ingredient. Bartenders at Levantine and North African restaurants began using it as a verjuice substitute, and the results surprised everyone.