Lonkero Wikipedia

The Aperol spritz may have ushered in the concept of the “drink of the summer”; it remains the defining example, along with the less syrupy Campari spritz. Still today, the holiday hasn’t officially begun until you have a bright orange beverage in a goldfish-bowl glass in your hand. The generic lonkero (“long drink” in English) has since been dubbed the national drink of Finland. The Lonkero co-founder Joe Harris developed a taste for it while working in Helsinki, then teamed up with Gibbons to bring it to the UK.
The Tiramibru will run to the end of the summer; Simpson is already thinking of how to adapt it for winter. The French herbal liqueur has been in short supply since the Carthusian monks who produce it decided to focus instead on “solitude and prayer”. Of course, as much as the answer should be obvious, the debate is part of what makes the “drink of the summer” question so compelling. Unfortunately, this high-season, low-stakes tradition has been tested over the past decade by our heavily saturated yet highly atomised consumer culture. These days, we’re flooded with options (rosorange wine? Smoked beers?) but struggle to align behind any of them. The TikTok-driven trend cycle doesn’t help, claiming every teenager’s cupboard-raiding concoction is the next big thing.

Original Long Drink Gin & Lemon -lanseeraus

Hartwall Original Long Drink – Gin & Grapefruit 5.5% 330mlHartwall Original Long Drink with Gin and Grapefruit is the original Finnish “Lonkero,” combining real gin with crisp grapefruit flavour. Lightly sparkling and refreshingly bitter-sweet, it’s a go-to drink for relaxed occasions. Hartwall Original, also known as ‘Lonkero’ is a ready to drink gin, with refreshing grapefruit.

• Still today, the holiday hasn’t officially begun until you have a bright orange beverage in a goldfish-bowl glass in your hand.
• This is one of our takes on Lonkeros – or Longkyrös, as we like to call them – brings together the distinct tastes of rye gin, mildly bubbly fresh cranberry juice and rosemary.
• Lonkero is a long, pint-sized splash of citrusy, zesty, refreshing perfection, straight from Finland.
• The Tiramibru will run to the end of the summer; Simpson is already thinking of how to adapt it for winter.
• It is a crisp & zingy drink combining gin, grapefruit, soda, lime, pine & botanicals.
• Until Finland joined the European Union in 1995, the production of long drink was strictly controlled by the government.

BuzzBallz

• But very much like a beer or cider, at 4.7% ABV, it’s best enjoyed in icy pints or ice cold cans.
• Very few of the beverages that go viral on TikTok actually make an impact in pubs and bars (and I would know).
• Hartwall Original, also known as ‘Lonkero’ is a ready to drink gin, with refreshing grapefruit.
• Today, lonkero holds the status of a national drink, and various flavours of lonkero are available.
• It has been well received by pub-goers looking for something different from typical seasonal options.
• These days, we’re flooded with options (rosorange wine? Smoked beers?) but struggle to align behind any of them.
• Others started manufacturing mild long drinks based on fermentation rather than on adding spirits.

If the drink of the summer isn’t alcoholic, it tends to skew towards a refreshing dessert. Tiramisu is emerging as the flavour of these summer months, with Starbucks UK winning over gen Z with its limited-edition tiramisu-inspired drinks menu. If you are unwilling to be parted from Aperol, a naked and famous might be your next favourite order. Delish magazine’s pick for drink of summer 2025, the cocktail packs a heavy punch with equal parts mezcal, yellow chartreuse, Aperol and fresh lime juice. The traditional paloma combines tequila, grapefruit soda and lime juice; in this case, the addition of jalapeños or chilli peppers and often a spicy rim add kick. Kyrö rye gin forms a perfect union with ginger, paired with fresh mint and citrus.

Fazer Tyrkisk Peber Original – Salt Liquorice Sweets 120g

This is one of our takes on Lonkeros – or Longkyrös, as we like to call them – brings together the distinct tastes of rye gin, mildly bubbly fresh cranberry juice and rosemary. The Olympics were held in Helsinki in 1952, with a record number of international guests expected at the games. With the Olympic Games being held in Helsinki, there would be an influx of thirsty athletes and visitors. Alko created two long drinks which were pre-mixed and bottled,  ready-to-consume. One was a brandy and fruit flavour and the second one was made with gin and grapefruit. Though Lonkero is a new brand, having launched in May last year, the drink itself dates back to 1952, and the Helsinki Olympic Games.
Some experimented with using lemon, orange or other flavors instead of grapefruit. Others started manufacturing mild long drinks based on fermentation rather than on adding spirits. The same composition can be achieved by diluting a 10% cider into 5% with water and gin and grapefruit flavors, and the 5.5% product can be sold in grocery stores. The 2000s saw the reintroduction of the brandy long drink, now manufactured by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas. For Gibbons, not a fan of beer or cider, Lonkero held instant appeal as an easy-drinking beverage served in pints. “I always used to joke that I was fed up with paying double the price for a drink that I’d finish sooner,” she says.
In April, the makers launched a limited-edition Green Apple flavour, just in time for brat summer round two. This summer’s spritz of choice has been declared the Hugo (or St-Germain) spritz, comprising elderflower cordial, prosecco, soda water, mint and lime. It signals your discernment amid an orange sea – and, even better, it’s now available in a can from M&S.
In addition to Norwich, Lonkero is also sold in pubs in London, Edinburgh, Brighton and several other British cities. Joe Harris, co-founder of the company, became familiar with the drink while working in Helsinki. His experience led him to co-launch the brand in the UK alongside Paige Gibbons, who said the drink has been performing “surprisingly well” in Norwich.

The search for the drink of summer 2025 is over – and it’s Lonkero

This is one of our takes on Lonkeros – or Longkyrös, as we like to call them – and it is the perfect pick-me-up. That shareable quality, I’d argue, is the X-factor that distinguishes a bona fide drink of the summer from one drummed up for clicks. Very few of the beverages that go viral on TikTok actually make an impact in pubs and bars (and I would know). At this rate, we might wind up with a pub for every day of the year and a Lonkero pub for every Sunday. A mix of gin, grapefruit, soda and lime with a pinch of pine and botanicals, Lonkero is a take on Finland’s national drink, which is rather unimaginatively known as the Finnish Long Drink. White Claw, my own longtime premix of choice, is best described as fruit-flavoured fizzy water with an ambiguous-sounding “gluten-free malted alcohol base” (not vodka, but some other thing).

Tasting Lonkero refreshing Finnish drink

It has been well received by pub-goers looking for something different from typical seasonal options. The name (“minus one nine six”) refers to the temperature at which fruit is frozen, using liquid nitrogen, before being crushed into powder and mixed with shochu and vodka. With half the alcohol content Lonkero of BuzzBallz, they are a safer bet in more ways than one. You may have already learned on this website of BuzzBallz, the globular pre-mixed cocktails loved by gen Z, available in flavours including Tequila ’Rita, Lotta Colada and Choc Tease.

Originally, the term “long drink” referred to a diluted, extended alcoholic beverage mixed in a glass. In Finland, a long drink – affectionately known as “lonkero” – has since become the name for a gin-based drink. The intention was for lonkero to be sold only during the summer Olympics, but Finns fell in love with the combination of gin and grapefruit juice. Today, lonkero holds the status of a national drink, and various flavours of lonkero are available.
When I finally got around to trying Lonkero, I was immediately converted – and, judging by the pint glasses containing telltale grapefruit wedges on all the tables surrounding me, most of Norwich had been, too. We’re fans of this Finnish Long Drink with cranberry juice for extra tartness. Finland’s signature long drink, known as Lonkero, has been named the “drink of the summer” by British newspaper The Guardian, after gaining traction in UK pubs, especially in the city of Norwich.