Lemon Drop Martini
Vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a sugar-rimmed glass. A sharp-sweet shaken drink.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Martini glass
- Strength
- 2.6 UK units
How to make a Lemon Drop Martini
- Sugar the rim. Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of a chilled martini glass, then dip the rim in a saucer of caster sugar. Shake off any extra.
- Add the ingredients. Pour the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a shaker and fill it two-thirds with ice.
- Shake until cold. Shake hard for 12 seconds, until the shaker is frosted on the outside.
- Strain and garnish. Strain into the glass, trying not to wet the sugar. It should be pale yellow and slightly cloudy. Add a lemon twist and serve.
- Glass
- Martini glassNo martini glass? A coupe.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- A sugared rim and a twist of lemon peelOr: A lemon wheel on the rim.
What you need to make a Lemon Drop Martini
Kit
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- CointreauDry orange liqueur that does not make the drink too sweet.Find it on Amazon
- A clean vodkaSmirnoff or Absolut; a citrus vodka can add more lemon.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Lemon Drop Martini story
The Lemon Drop is usually traced to San Francisco in the 1970s, where Norman Jay Hobday, owner of a bar called Henry Africa's, is credited with it. It was inspired by the lemon drop sweet, and is made with the same mix of sugar and sharp lemon. The origin has not been proven.
Balance matters, because lemon is sharp and the sugar rim sweetens each sip. Use fresh lemon and shake it well. If you like it sharper, skip the sugar rim or cut the syrup a little.
Lemon Drop Martini: your questions answered
What is in a Lemon Drop Martini?
A Lemon Drop Martini is made with 50 ml vodka, 15 ml Cointreau, 25 ml fresh lemon juice and 10 ml sugar syrup. Garnish: a sugared rim and a twist of lemon peel.
Is a Lemon Drop Martini shaken or stirred?
A Lemon Drop Martini is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Lemon Drop Martini?
Made to this recipe, a Lemon Drop Martini contains about 2.6 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Lemon Drop Martini in?
Serve a Lemon Drop Martini in a martini glass. No martini glass? A coupe.
