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Nonalcoholic Dirty Lemon Tonic

By Rebekah Peppler

Published April 12, 2023

Nonalcoholic Dirty Lemon Tonic
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(1,040)
Comments
Read comments

Preserved lemon is a kitchen workhorse that easily moves to the bar. Here, it’s muddled with sugar and fresh lemon slices to release a light bitterness, harmonizing the sweet, the saline and the acidic. It appears once more, alongside olives and more fresh slices in the edible and fragrant garnish. While you can and should use both the preserved lemon rind and pulp (the pulp adds more welcome salinity and texture), use only the rind for the garnish. And, if you’d like to make this nonalcoholic drink alcoholic, add a splash of vodka, gin or, if you’re looking to triple down on the lemon flavors, limoncello.

Featured in: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Dirty Martini

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • 2teaspoons finely chopped preserved lemon, store-bought or homemade
  • 5very thinly sliced fresh lemon wheels
  • 1teaspoon granulated sugar
  • Ice
  • 4ounces dry tonic water, chilled
  • Slice of preserved lemon rind, green olives (such as Castelvetrano or Manzanilla) and half wheel of lemon, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

179 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 22 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In the bottom of a sturdy rocks glass, add the preserved lemon, lemon wheels and sugar. Muddle until the sugar dissolves and the lemon wheels release their juices. Add the ice to the glass and top with tonic water.

  2. Step 2

    Thread a skewer with a slice of preserved lemon rind, a few olives and a lemon half wheel; garnish.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,040 user ratings
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Comments

Bree

Thank you for publishing a grown up, not too sweet nonalcoholic cocktail recipe! Recipes like this make me feel like I can participate in the fun complexity of cocktail crafting, even though alcohol isn't my friend. I'm going to try this one tonight, and I'd love to see more.

JG

Also super good with 1/2 tonic and 1/2 seltzer (which makes it a bit less sweet). This is a fabulous drink. Made a batch for a party and it was a hit. Great way to make folks feel welcome to drink alcohol or not - I left out a bottle of gin and folks could add it or not, as they desired, but everyone got a fun, beautiful, delicious drink. Truly a winner. Will be making this for years. (Note: I used Mark Bittman's recipe for quick preserved lemons because I didn't have preserved lemons on hand.)

Sharon K

Great recipe, would love to see MORE non-alcoholic and not-too-sweet cocktail recipes like this one.

Sarita

This is SOOOOO delicious! I'm not a tonic fan so I just used seltzer and added a couple of drops of stevia, but it was absolute perfection. It kind of reminds me of an aperol spritz in terms of its balance of sweetness, bitterness, and complexity. As a sober person, it's not often I find an N/A cocktail that isn't overly sweet or completely bland. Enjoying one of these as I type this!

Rebecca Vega

I was super excited about this drink but didn't love it. I didn't think it was well balanced. I also love mocktails where I don't notice there isn't alcohol. This needed gin desperately to make the mouth feel and balance better.

Ryan Monaghan

@Rebecca Vega I made this as called for and felt the same way… but oh my gosh it is DIVINE with some gin added in! (Not trying to encourage anyone who is trying to avoid alcohol, but if you can and do trick, try a splash of gin in this!)

Lauren

Tonic is sweet enough, so I leave out the sugar and sometimes include a dash of the olive brine or some bitters. This is better than most alcoholic cocktails I’ve had, exactly what I’ve been looking for in a mocktail.

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