Ingredients
Drink
- 50 mlgin
- 200 mlgrapefruit soda
- plenty of ice
Optional
- a grapefruit wedge
- a squeeze of lime
For a homemade mixer
- 150 mlfresh pink grapefruit juice
- 50 mlsoda water
- 1 tspsugar syrup
Directions
- Fill a tall glass right to the top with ice.
- Use far more ice than feels right. A half-filled glass melts fast and gives you a warm, watery drink, where a packed glass stays cold and dilutes slowly.
- Pour the gin over the ice first, so it chills before the soda arrives.
- Top with grapefruit soda, pouring down the inside of the glass.
- Pour against the glass rather than into the middle, or you lose most of the carbonation immediately.
- Stir once, gently, from the bottom, and no more. If you are making the mixer yourself, use pink grapefruit juice with soda water and only a little sugar syrup.
- Garnish with a grapefruit wedge if you like, and serve immediately. It is drunk cold, in quantity, through the Finnish summer, and the canned version is what most people actually reach for.
Technique
- Finns distinguish lonkero from a gin and tonic firmly, and grapefruit rather than quinine is the whole difference.
- There are now many flavours sold, though the original grapefruit remains the standard.
- It is a genuinely low-strength drink at around 5 per cent in the can.
Substitutions
- Any grapefruit soda, or fresh juice topped with soda water.
- Vodka in place of gin, which is common.
Variations
- Made with fresh pink grapefruit juice.
- With a splash of lime.
- The cranberry and pear versions sold commercially.
History
Created for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics so bars could serve visitors quickly; the ready-mixed long drink stayed and became a national category.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lonkero?
Lonkero is a cocktail from Finland: long drink of gin and grapefruit soda, sold ready-mixed in cans. Created for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics so bars could serve visitors quickly; the ready-mixed long drink stayed and became a national category.
How long does Lonkero take to make?
Lonkero takes 3 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 long drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Lonkero?
Yes, within limits. Any grapefruit soda, or fresh juice topped with soda water. Vodka in place of gin, which is common.
What is the most important thing to get right in Lonkero?
Pour against the glass rather than into the middle, or you lose most of the carbonation immediately.
