Lemongrass Gin Cocktail with Yuzu Juice

Fifty mil gin. That’s your baseline. The rest is just flavor that doesn’t get in the way.

Why You’ll Love This Gin Cocktail

Takes five minutes to actually build a drink — the syrup’s already made, you’re just pouring and stirring. Tastes like something you’d order at a bar without the price tag or the small talk. The yuzu juice and lemongrass do something together that neither one does alone. Works every single time. No fancy technique. Just proportions that make sense. Citrus hits different when it’s yuzu instead of lemon — brighter, more floral, less aggressive on the palate. You can make the syrup on Sunday and the drink takes literally five minutes on a Wednesday. That’s the whole appeal.

What You Need for a Honey Lemongrass Infused Syrup Cocktail

Honey. Not sugar. Dissolves faster, stays liquid longer, doesn’t crystallize in the cold.

Water. Room temperature to start. That’s it — just plain water.

One lemongrass stalk. Split it lengthwise so it releases more flavor without breaking apart. You’re steeping, not crushing.

Gin. Fifty milliliters per drink. London Dry works. Botanical gins get weird with the lemongrass — the syrup overpowers them.

Yuzu juice. This is the move. Lemon juice is fine if you can’t find it. But yuzu is brighter, less sharp, almost floral. Changes everything. Not concentrate — actual juice.

Sparkling water. The kind with actual carbonation, not flat. Club soda works too. Either one gives you that fizz without the sweetness.

Ice. Cubes, not crushed. Melts slower, doesn’t dilute fast.

Lemon or yuzu wedge for the finish. Twist it over the drink for the oils, then drop it in or leave it out. Doesn’t matter.

How to Make the Lemongrass Syrup for This Citrus Drink

Heat water and honey together in a small saucepan. Not boiling. You want it warm — around 80 degrees Celsius, tops — because boiling kills the lemongrass flavor before it even starts. This is the whole thing. Keep heat low.

Add the split lemongrass stalk. It goes right in while the water’s still warm. Stir once, then leave it. The warmth pulls the flavor out without cooking it into something different. Watch for about eight minutes. You’re not looking for anything specific — just time passing, syrup getting clearer, the kitchen starting to smell like a garden.

When eight minutes is done, pull the pan off heat. Don’t strain it yet. Let it cool to room temperature — could be 20 minutes, could be 30. Patience here matters more than rushing it.

Strain the lemongrass out. Use a fine mesh or cheesecloth. What’s left is clear, pale yellow, almost floral-tasting. That’s your syrup.

Chill it. Minimum 15 minutes in the fridge, but overnight is better. Cold syrup doesn’t break when you add it to cold gin and ice.

Keeps for three months sealed in a container. Longer than you’ll probably use it anyway.

How to Build a Yuzu Juice Gin Cocktail That Actually Works

Pour gin first. Fifty milliliters — that’s a standard shot glass plus a splash more. Doesn’t matter what glass you use, but tall glasses look right for this one.

Add fifty milliliters of the chilled lemongrass syrup. Not more, not less. Fifty. This is where the balance lives. If you add extra syrup thinking it’ll be sweeter, you’re wrong — it gets muddled, loses the citrus clarity.

Pour in fifty milliliters of yuzu juice. Cold, from the fridge if you have it. This is the citrus anchor. It’s not tart like lemon — it’s round, almost honeyed in the back, and it sits perfectly with the lemongrass.

Fill the glass about three-quarters full with ice cubes. Pack it in. Not smashed, just snug. The ice should reach near the rim.

Stir for about ten seconds. Just enough to pull the cold through. Over-stirring dilutes it before you drink it.

Top with sparkling water. Seventy-five milliliters. You’ll see a little fizz rise up through the drink. That’s the signal it’s done. The bubbles make it feel lighter even though nothing changed.

Garnish. Twist a lemon or yuzu peel over the drink so the oils spray across the top. Drop the peel in or leave it. Both work.

Serve immediately. It gets worse as it sits.

Lemongrass Tom Collins Twist Recipe — Tips and Real Mistakes

The syrup temperature matters more than you think. If you boil it, the lemongrass turns bitter and grassy instead of floral. Just warm. That’s the whole rule.

Don’t skip cooling the syrup before chilling it. Room temperature first, then the fridge. If you try to chill it hot, it stays cloudy and weird.

Yuzu juice changes the whole thing. Lemon juice is a substitute, not an equal. It works, tastes good, but it’s sharper. Yuzu is softer. If you can only find concentrate, skip it — concentrate is too intense and tastes like chemicals next to the delicate lemongrass.

The proportions are 1:1:1 for gin, syrup, and yuzu juice. If you start improvising, it falls apart. The balance is tight.

Sparkling water brand matters less than you’d think. Whatever has carbonation works. Flat water kills the whole thing — defeats the point.

Ice cubes, not crushed. Crushed melts too fast, dilutes by the second sip.

Made this with regular lemon juice once. It was fine. Too sharp, though. Kept thinking I should’ve grabbed the yuzu instead. That’s not a failure — it’s just less elegant.

The gin you pick doesn’t have to be fancy. But very botanical gins — the ones with juniper, coriander, all that stuff — they fight the lemongrass. Smooth, cleaner gins work better. Something that gets out of the way.

Lemongrass Gin Cocktail with Yuzu Juice

By Emma

Prep:

20 min

Cook:

5 min

Total:

25 min

Servings:

1 serving

Ingredients

• Lemongrass syrup
• 175 ml honey (instead of sugar)
• 175 ml water
• 1 stalk lemongrass split lengthwise
• Cocktail
• 50 ml gin
• 50 ml lemongrass syrup
• 50 ml yuzu juice (instead of lemon juice)
• 75 ml sparkling water (instead of club soda)
• Ice cubes
• Lemon twist or yuzu wedge for garnish

Method

1. Lemongrass syrup
2. 1 Heat water, honey and lemongrass in small saucepan just until honey dissolves completely. No boiling necessary, keep below 90°C to preserve flavor. Let simmer gently for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate minimum 15 minutes.
3. 2 Strain out lemongrass stalk. Syrup keeps up to 3 months refrigerated in sealed container.
4. 3
5. Cocktail assembly
6. 4 In a tall glass, pour gin, 50 ml chilled lemongrass syrup, and yuzu juice.
7. 5 Add ice cubes filling 3/4 of glass, stir briefly.
8. 6 Top with sparkling water for a slight fizz. Adjust syrup or yuzu balance if preferred.
9. 7 Garnish with twisted peel or wedge of lemon or yuzu. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information

Calories

150

Protein

0g

Carbs

18g

Fat

0g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Gin Drink

Can I make the syrup ahead of time? Yes. Three months in the fridge if it’s sealed. Actually tastes better the next day — flavors settle. Make it on a Sunday, use it all week.

What if I can’t find yuzu juice? Lemon works. Not the same, but it works. Yuzu’s brighter — lemon’s sharper. You’ll taste the difference. Grapefruit juice is weird with this one. Don’t.

How long does the actual drink take? Five minutes start to finish. Syrup’s already made. Just pouring and stirring. That’s the whole appeal — it looks fancy but it’s stupidly fast.

Should I chill the glass first? Doesn’t matter. Ice does the work. A chilled glass is nicer, but it’s not necessary.

What sparkling water should I use? Whatever has bubbles. Perrier, San Pellegrino, store brand — they’re all fine. The carbonation is what matters, not the brand. Flat water kills it.

Can I double the recipe? Yeah. Double everything. It still works. Stir a bit longer so the cold spreads.

What if the syrup crystallizes? Doesn’t usually happen because honey doesn’t crystallize like sugar does. If it does for some reason, just warm it gently until it clears again.

Is this actually a Tom Collins variation? Not really. Tom Collins is gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling water. This swaps the syrup for lemongrass honey and uses yuzu instead of lemon. Different enough that calling it a twist makes sense. Close enough that if you know Tom Collins, you’ll recognize the structure.