Olympic Original · Lonkero
Lonkero (Finnish Long Drink)
Photo: Arkke / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
It was invented so Olympic bartenders wouldn't be overwhelmed — for the 1952 Helsinki Games, the state alcohol monopoly pre-mixed and bottled gin with grapefruit soda so venues could pour drinks fast for the crowds.
Lonkero is a carbonated highball of gin and grapefruit soda, sold pre-mixed in cans and bottles as well as poured fresh. It's tart, fizzy, and refreshing; its Finnish nickname, meaning 'tentacle,' is a play on the English term 'long drink.'
Why it's made this way: The drink was created for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the capital of Uusimaa, as a practical solution under Finland's strict alcohol-monopoly rules — and it has remained the country's most iconic ready-to-drink cocktail ever since.
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