Lengtheners: three recipes with more than just a little dash

Bartenders know their spirits, right? Whether it is some esoteric ancestral mezcal from Mexico, or a caraway-carrying akvavit from the colder climes of Scandinavia, possessing some solid spirits chat goes a long way behind the bar.

What doesn’t get as much play, however, is the other stuff that goes into the drink. We don’t mean ice — there are ice programs aplenty these days — and we don’t mean the produce (never before have so many bars been involved in sourcing their own botanicals and fruits). No, we’re talking about the mixers, the sodas, the lengtheners. It’s that piece of the drinkmaking puzzle that often gets neglected — yet is the place where an enterprising bartender can provide some unexpected flavour combinations.

So, given that the sun is shining outside, and your guests could use some longform refreshment, we thought now would be the best time to look at some conventional — and some from outside the box — means of lengthening those drinks.

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What’s in the drinks?


Organics by Red Bull Simply Cola
Organics Simply Cola by Red Bull is made with selected botanical extracts, natural caffeine and organic lemon juice concentrate, and is certified organic.
Red Bull

Fever-Tree Soda Water
Fever-Tree takes great care (it’s all about the carbonation); their soda water is simple, its ingredients being natural spring water and bicarb of soda. SouthTrade

StrangeLove Dirty Tonic
An Australian tonic water with a difference, their Dirty Tonic uses raw, unrefined cinchona bark, rosemary, orange peel and sea salt for a drier taste.
StrangeLove