Lynchburg Lemonade

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Lynchburg Lemonade
Type: Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume:
Served: "On the rocks"; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Lemon wedge, maraschino cherry
Standard drinkware:
Collins glass
Commonly used ingredients: Jack Daniel's, triple sec, sour mix, lemon-lime
Preparation: Build over ice; stir.

A Lynchburg Lemonade is a cocktail made with, among other ingredients, Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey. It is named after Lynchburg, Tennessee, home of the Jack Daniel's distillery. A typical recipe is 1 part Jack Daniel's, 1 part triple sec, 1 part sour mix and 4 parts lemon-lime soda. It thus belongs to the sour family of mixed drinks. It is normally served over ice and garnished with a lemon and possibly a cherry.

The drink was created and given its name by Alabama restaurant and lounge owner Tony Mason in 1980. It was the subject of the 1987 court case Mason v. Jack Daniel Distillery [1]. Mason alleged that a Jack Daniel's distillery sales representative visited his restaurant and somehow learned the recipe for the drink, which he contended was a trade secret. A year later, Jack Daniel's launched a national campaign to promote the drink. Mason subsequently filed suit in the Madison County Circuit Court, seeking over US$13 million in compensatory and punitive damages for misappropriating his recipe. The court ruled in his favor, but only awarded Mason US$1 in damages. In Mason v. Jack Daniel Distillery, Mason appealed the decision to the Alabama Civil Appellate court, which found that Mason could be entitled to more than nominal compensatory damages and overturned the decision, ordering a new trial.