In order to develop a menthol flavor for cigarette, l -menthyl d -bitartrate was synthesized by refluxing d -tartaric acid and l -menthol in mol ratio of 2.4:1 with toluene as solvent and p-toluene sulfonic acid as catalyst. The synthetic was purified by molecular distillation at 80°C and 1 Pa, a product contained 97.4% of l -menthyl d -bitartrate was obtained, and the yield was up to 80%. The panel test results of cigarette flavored with the synthetic at a ratio of 0.001% showed that the smoke was milder and offered a fresh and cool taste.