Picture this: The sun is shining in a clear blue sky, and you’re kicking back at home. It’s Saturday—that means no work—and you’re looking forward to an evening cookout with family and friends. But there’s just one thing missing.

You need a dang drink.

Enter the Lynchburg Lemonade. Perfectly suited for a warm evening on the patio, it’s a simple whiskey cocktail that’s named for Lynchburg, Tennessee, where the Jack Daniel Distillery was founded and where Jack Daniel’s whiskey is still produced today. 

Origin of the Lynchburg Lemonade

The cocktail itself may be summery and lighthearted, but the Lynchburg Lemonade has a surprisingly intense history filled with controversy. 

The drink was reportedly created by Tony Mason, an Alabama bar owner who treated the recipe as a “trade secret.” Secrets have their way of getting out, though, and Jack Daniel’s itself soon began a marketing push based on the cocktail, neglecting to mention Mason altogether. 

That didn’t fly with Mason, and he took Jack Daniel’s to court to let them know, suing the company for $13 million in damages. The shocking part? He actually won his case with the Madison County Circuit Court, but was awarded a whopping one dollar. So much for a big payout, eh?

Mason appealed the initial decision after another court suggested he may be entitled to further compensation for the damages, and took the issue to court once more. 

This time, however, he lost. 

So, while Tony Mason may have pulled the short straw by creating this cocktail, the ordeal certainly worked out in our favor—we get to sip on a great drink. Thanks, Tony.

How to Make a Lynchburg Lemonade

Making a Lynchburg Lemonade is easy as pie. Coincidentally, the drink doesn’t actually use lemonade—it instead relies on triple sec (an orange-flavored liqueur), sour mix (a mixture of lemon juice, lime juice and simple syrup) and lemon-lime soda to deliver its fresh citrus flavors.

Other than that, all you need is a highball glass, ice, a lemon wedge and the whiskey itself, and you’re good to go. Cheers!

Lynchburg Lemonade Recipe

• Prep: 3 mins

• Total: 3 mins

• Serving: Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

• 1 oz. triple sec

• 1 oz. sour mix or fresh-squeezed lemon juice

• 4 oz. lemon-lime soda

• Lemon wedge

• Ice

Directions

1. Add ice cubes to a highball glass.

2. Pour Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey over the ice.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the glass, then stir.

4. Garnish with lemon slices or a wedge over the rim of the glass.

Easy, right? Despite the simplicity of its recipe, this cocktail packs big flavors inspired by Southern hospitality. It’s worth noting that while Jack Daniel’s is a natural fit for the drink it inspired, don’t hesitate to substitute your Tennessee whiskey of choice if you prefer another (learn more about what makes Tennessee whiskey unique in our comprehensive whiskey guide).

Prefer something even quicker? You can always try Jack Daniel’s premade Lynchburg Lemonade, too. 

Get all the ingredients you need for a Lynchburg Lemonade (and tons more) delivered straight to your door with the Gopuff app, available for download on the App Store and Google Play. Love to stay in the know? Follow Gopuff on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook while you’re at it.