Cuba Dry Lemon Flavored Vodka Spirit Drink 70 cl 30%

The rest of the family is about colour and sugar. Dry Lemon declines. Tart lemon over a clean vodka base, and not a great deal else, which is the entire reason it exists.

Expert description

Cuba Dry Lemon is a Danish Vodka Spirit Drink from Spritfabrikken Danmark in Kolding, made with triple distilled vodka carrying a lightly tart lemon flavour and bottled at 30%.

It is the driest bottle in the range and was developed for people who do not want things too sweet. Where the strawberry and orange lean on boiled sweets, this one sits closer to the peel of a lemon, and the sugar has been turned down noticeably.

The base is vodka distilled three times, and because the strength is set at 30% the label reads spirit drink made with vodka. The producer recommends it chilled, shaken with ice or lengthened with soda or juice, and it is built for long drinks rather than for sipping neat.

In the glass it behaves like a mild vodka with the lemon already added: you do not need to bring nearly as much acid of your own. The house suggestions are a Lemon Drop or a Tom Collins, but it also works with plain sparkling water and a slice of lemon.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh lemon peel first, bright and light. Behind it sits a mild sweetness and a trace of elderflower.

Palate

Tart and crisp with the lemon up front. Sweetness is present but takes up less room than in the rest of the range, and the vodka base gives structure without sharpness.

Finish

Short and dry. The citrus peel lingers for a moment, and there is no syrupy tail behind it.

Specifications

Name: Cuba Dry Lemon
Producer: Spritfabrikken Danmark
Region/Country: Kolding, Denmark
Type: Danish Vodka Spirit Drink
ABV: 30%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Triple distilled
Serving suggestion: Shaken with ice in a Lemon Drop, or long in a Tom Collins with sparkling water and a slice of lemon.

Flavour profile

Tart lemon · Fresh · Dry · Light

Did you know?

One of the range’s best known drinks was invented behind the bar at the old Crazy Daisy in Haderslev. A bartender mixed the caramel variant with lime and green soda, and the result was named Champusbrus because it tasted like the ice lolly of the same name.

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Frequently asked questions about Cuba Dry Lemon

How sweet is Cuba Dry Lemon?

It is the least sweet in the entire range. There is still sugar in it, but the acidity of the lemon is allowed to lead, which makes it easier to drink in a long glass. If you want it drier still, tonic is the right choice.

What is the best drink to build with it?

A Tom Collins. The lemon is already in the bottle, so half the work is done for you, and sparkling water plus ice is enough. A Lemon Drop shaken with ice is the short version of the same idea.

Can it be drunk neat?

It can be done, but it was not built for it. The producer recommends it chilled and shaken with ice or lengthened, because the acidity works best once it is stretched out in a glass. Neat and lukewarm it falls a little flat.

Should I add fresh lemon anyway?

Rarely. There is already a clear lemon profile in the bottle, and extra juice pushes the drink towards sour very quickly. A slice of lemon in the glass gives you the aroma without shifting the balance.

What else goes with it besides soda?

Elderflower, ginger ale and pale berry syrups all suit it, because the acidity cuts through the sugar. Blackcurrant syrup with a splash of elderflower soda is one of the house combinations. See more bottles under Vodka.

Why does it say spirit drink rather than vodka?

Because it is bottled at 30%. The vodka designation requires a higher alcohol content, so even though the base is vodka distilled three times, the product has to be sold as a spirit drink made with vodka.

How should an opened bottle be stored?

Cool and dark in an ordinary cupboard. Citrus aromas fade faster than most other flavours, so an opened bottle tastes its best within the first year or so. More brands sit under Vodka brands.