Yellow Belly

A vodka with added citrus, often lemon, flavoring. You can make it yourself! It's easy and hard to screw-up, cut 3-4 lemons into wedges or slices and add them to 2 cups of vodka in a sealable glass jar. Let steep for 1-2 weeks depending on strength desired (taste along the way). Remove lemons when you think it's good to go, now make a Cosmopolitan!

An Italian lemon flavored liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, traditionally made at home; you can too! Here is a recipe from Serious Eats: Zest 10 lemons (without pith) and place in an air-tight glass container (reserve the lemons for later). Add 375ml of high-proof spirit like everlear 151. Seal and shake, then let steep for two weeks. Then, make a siple syrup with 1.75 cups water and 1.25 cups sugar. Add to the mixture and let sit for a day. Strain through a coffee filter, refirgerate, and enjoy!

The most common fruit juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; pure citric acid. Lemon juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A syrup made from dissolving granulated sugar (sucrose) in water. Regular simple is made by combining 1:1 sugar:water by mass, rich simple is 2:1 sugar:water by mass although only 1.5 times as sweet as regular. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A yellow citrus fruit. The peel is often used as a garnish while the juice incorporated into the drink for a tart flavor profile (citric acid).