Lost Lake
Lost Lake is made with Jamaican rum, red bitter liqueur, maraschino, lime and tropical fruit, chilled for serving.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a tiki mug and prepare the garnish before mixing.
Add all measured ingredients to a shaker.
Add ice, seal the shaker and shake until the tin feels thoroughly cold.
Strain into the prepared tiki mug over crushed ice.
Add a small pineapple garnish to the rim or a cocktail pick. Add a drained cocktail cherry on a pick. Provide a straw for the iced serving.
A thoughtful finish
- Keep the small bitter and maraschino measures exact so the tropical fruit does not bury them.
- Squeeze the citrus close to mixing and strain out large seeds before measuring.
- Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.
Common mistakes
- More passion fruit syrup changes the sweet-sour balance and should be a labeled adjustment.
- Sweetened citrus cordial adds sugar that is not accounted for in a fresh-juice recipe.
- A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.
A few good questions.
What is in a Lost Lake?
Lost Lake is made with Jamaican rum, red bitter liqueur, maraschino, lime and tropical fruit.
Can I scale a Lost Lake for more servings?
Multiply every measured ingredient by the same serving count. Prepare the measured still ingredients ahead if useful, but chill, shake or stir each serving as directed; add any carbonated finish at service.
Can I use bottled sour mix?
The selected recipe uses fresh citrus, not sour mix. A premixed sweetened product changes both acidity and sweetness and should be labeled as a substitution.
Who created the Lost Lake?
The cited source credits Paul McGee, with no verified creation year recorded here at Lost Lake. The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.
Variations
- Another bottle of the base — Editorial bottle variation: use another producer of the same jamaican rum style at the listed measure; record the bottle rather than assuming identical sweetness or strength.
- Over a large ice cube — Editorial serving variation: serve the same measured mixture over a large fresh cube in a rocks glass; continued ice melt will change its dilution over time.
Where it comes from
Chicago, Illinois, USA · Paul McGee · Lost Lake
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Lost Lake cocktail is credited to Paul McGee and the Chicago bar of the same name. Difford’s Guide describes its selected recipe as an adaptation created around 2016 and notes a different rum choice in McGee’s original. An indexed March 2015 Kindred Cocktails record already names the drink, McGee and Lost Lake, which makes an exact 2016 invention date uncertain. The direct historical newspaper URL linked by that record did not open successfully during this review, so it is not promoted to a verified citation. This directory retains McGee’s creator credit and the Chicago venue but leaves the precise creation year blank. The ingredient table identifies the later published adaptation; a change of rum brand or passion fruit component should not be confused with proof of when the first Lost Lake was made.
Sources
- Difford’s Guide — Lost Lake Cocktail Recipe (reference) link
- Kindred Cocktails — Lost Lake, early creator/date record, 2015 (reference) link
Strength. About 1.76 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.6% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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