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This is the best lemon drop martini recipe! It’s a bright, citrus cocktail with fresh lemon juice and vodka. This recipe uses three simple ingredients and has an incredibly fresh taste. It’s perfect to sip year-round!
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Pin ItIf you’re looking for a delicious and refreshing drink to enjoy this summer, look no further than the lemon drop martini! This cocktail has been around for years and is still one of the most popular drinks. Also, check out my lemon drop shots too!
The bright, refreshing flavor of the lemon drop martini makes this easy cocktail recipe perfect for summer. It has a fresh taste that is great for sipping on a hot day.
A lemon drop cocktail is a perfect blend of sweet and sour. It’s great for summer picnics and Mother’s Day brunch.
Ingredients and Shopping List
If you’re wondering what is in a lemon drop martini, here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Vodka – Use good quality vodka for this cocktail. See all of our recommendations below.
- Large Lemon – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this cocktail. Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t have the same flavor. One lemon provides approximately three tablespoons of juice.
- Simple Syrup – Follow our simple syrup guide! It’s a mixture of sugar and water, melted together to create a liquid sweetener.
- Sugar – Use this for the rim of the glass.
- Lemon twist or lemon zest to garnish.
Add a shot of limoncello, a delicious lemon liqueur, for a limoncello lemon drop with an extra dose of sweetness and a burst of lemon flavor!
Tips for Making The Perfect Lemon Drop Martini
A lemon drop is one of our favorite summer cocktails. Its bright and citrus flavor is sunshine in a coupe! Here are tips for making the perfect lemon drop:
- Shake with ice for 30 seconds to dilute the ingredients. This gives the cocktail a balanced flavor.
- Use high-quality ingredients when making martinis. Each ingredient is crucial to making a great cocktail.
- Always use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. It makes a huge difference in the taste of this drink. You can use Meyers lemons too.
- Swap out plain vodka for citron vodka.
- Add a dash of orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or triple sec.
Lemon Sugar Rim
The sugared rim is an important part of a lemon drop martini! We use sugar and lemon zest to make a homemade lemon sugar rim.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a shallow dish. Use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together to infuse the sugar.
Using water, wet the rim of the martini glass then dip it straight down into the sugar to coat the glass.
I love infusing sugar into recipes. Find more ideas for infusing sugar here!
How Do You Make Lemon Twists?
Lemon twists are the perfect garnish for the best lemon drop martini! Here’s how to make one:
- Slice a ring from a fresh lemon peel.
- Cut through one side of the peel and remove the pulp so you just have a strip of the peel.
- Curl the peel into its desired twist and it will naturally hold its shape.
More Classic Martini Recipes
If you’re looking for more martini recipes, check out any of these:
- Gingerbread Martini and Christmas Martini
- Dirty Martini
- Pink Cranberry Martini
- Apple Martini
- Peppermint Martini
Also check out our favorite brunch recipes, the best-mixed drinks, gin cocktails, vodka cocktails, and cheap drinks to make at home!
Now that you know how to make a perfect lemon drop martini let me know what you think by leaving a review and comment below! We’d love to know your thoughts!
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Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
- 1 ounce simple syrup
Instructions
- Make a small batch of simple syrup and let it cool to room temperature.
- Make fresh lemon juice. 1 lemon will be enough for one cocktail.
- Add the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds or more.
- Strain into a martini or coupe glass and serve immediately.
Lemon Sugared Rim
- To make a lemon sugared rim, pour 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow dish, add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and mix using your fingers to blend the lemon flavor and fragrance into the sugar.
- Wet the outer edge of the glass, then dip it straight into the sugar to coat the rim!
Notes
Lemon Drop Mocktail
If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail, use zero-proof vodka or omit the vodka and add extra lemon juice and simple syrup to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this with Tito’s vodka and it was great! I bookmarked the recipe so I can easily find it later. Thank you
So easy to make and delicious. My girlfriends loved these!
Super Highly recommended! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again!
Love lemon drinks!! My favorite are the lemon peel swirls!
Love a sweet cocktail with a kick-especially lemony ones! Excited to enjoy this later this evening!
Great tutorial and beautiful pics, thanks for sharing this!
So simple and so easy to make! Love the lemon flavor!