Lemon, lime and bitters

Lemon, lime and bitters (LLB) is a mixed drink made with clear lemonade, lime cordial, and bitters. The drink may have been invented in Australia as late as the 1880s with the addition of lime to lemonade and bitters, an existing home remedy drink.^[1] Today it has been described by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as "Australia's national drink"^[2] due to its ubiquity on restaurant menus and availability as a pre-mixed beverage.

Lemon, lime and bitters

Type	Mixed drink
Ingredients	Lemonade Lime juice cordial (aka sweetened lime juice) Bitters
Standard drinkware	Highball glass
Standard garnish	Slice of lemon or lime
Served	Straight up or with ice
Preparation	Rim the inside (and optionally outside) of the glass with 4 to 5 dashes of Angostura Bitters then pour lemonade and lime cordial (15–30 mL) into glass. Garnish with Lemon if desired. Has 0.2% alcohol. Angostura LLB is available in cans as well in a pre-mixed version.

It was served as a non-alcoholic alternative to "Pink Gin" (gin mixed with Angostura bitters).^[2]

History

The exact origin of lemon, lime and bitters is unknown, but it is claimed to have been invented and popularized within Australia sometime around 1880.^[2][3] Consequently, LLB is commonly consumed in Australia and New Zealand where it became customary for golf players to have a drink of LLB after a match of golf.^{[4][better source needed]}

It is made to order in most bars but a pre-mixed version is made by a number of soft drink companies and is widely available in supermarkets.

Wimmers Premium Soft Drinks Company from Cooroy in Queensland Australia on the Sunshine Coast were the first ever company to commercialize Lemon, Lime and Bitters into a ready to drink soft drink in the 1920's using authentic Angostura Bitters. They continue to produce LLB in 330mL, 600mL and 1.25L sizes today staying true to the original recipe for over 100 years. www.wimmers.com.au

See also

• Gunner (cocktail) - a similar Hong Kong drink, with ginger ale, lemon juice and bitters.
• List of cocktails