The Refreshing Lemonade Cocktail Your Summer Cookout Desperately Needs Is Only 3 Ingredients

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Few drinks are more refreshing during the hot summer months than an ice-cold lemonade. Add some whiskey and triple sec to it, and now you have the perfect summer cookout cocktail. This is a slight modification of a Lynchburg Lemonade, which starts with Jack Daniel's' best-selling Old No. 7 (though you don't have to use Jack Daniel's) and adds lemon-lime soda, simple syrup, and lemon juice to the whiskey and triple sec. The cocktail can be made in a highball glass filled with ice, or you can take the recommendation found in the book, "The Complete Home Bartender's Guide," and shake up the ingredients (minus the soda) before pouring it into your glass and topping it with soda.

If you're wondering why a drink called Lynchburg Lemonade doesn't actually use lemonade, you have to understand that lemonade is different depending on where you live. In the U.S., lemonade is a mixture of lemon juice, water, and sugar. In the U.K., lemonade is more like a sparkling lemon drink. By the latter definition, the name makes sense, but when you think of summer cookouts or just hanging out on a porch or back yard, you get visions of fresh, homemade lemonade. You might even picture kids with a stand on their front lawn selling it to passersby. Using lemonade is also more efficient at a summer cookout.

You might enjoy making cocktails — I certainly do — but the time you spend making cocktails for cookout guests can be better spent swimming in a pool or reminiscing with friends on past summers. Since this cocktail is equal parts alcohol plus lemonade, it's easy to make it by the pitcher. A good starting point is 1 cup of Jack Daniel's and 1 cup of triple sec for a 6-cup pitcher. You can adjust to make it stronger, or cut back on the spirits until you find the ratio you wish to serve guests.

If you have kids at the cookout, though, you don't want two pitchers of lemonade with one being off-limits to them. One single pitcher of fresh lemonade means the kids at the cookout can have lemonade without a problem, and for the cocktails, have the spirits on the table for your guests to make it to their liking. Set up a small whiteboard with the cocktail recipe written on it, and let your guests play bartender. As a bonus, have cans of Sprite handy for the fizz of the traditional Lynchburg Lemonade. It's easy to fall for the margarita trap, but there are plenty of other cocktails to cool off with during the summer, and this refreshing lemonade cocktail is certainly one you should add to your list.