Lemon Drop Cocktail

A classic lemon cocktail recipe perfect for using up fresh lemons. This Lemon Drop Cocktail is a sweet and tart cocktail great for a ladies’ night or after dinner cocktails. It’s among my favorite lemon drinks, right up there with the Lynchburg Lemonade!

Lemon Drop Cocktail Recipe

As 70’s fashion and decor makes its come back with retro side tables and all things tassels, crochet, lace, and bell-bottoms, we would be remiss to miss out on some of the best contributions from the 70’s: inventive cocktails, just like this lemon drop martini recipe.

The lemon drop cocktail is one of the best mainstays from the 1970s when it was invented in a singles “fern bar” – classically decorated with wooden paneling, fake Tiffany’s lamps, and yes, lots of overgrown ferns. It’s a riff on a classic martini and is still perfect for those who want a strong cocktail, but don’t really have a taste for alcohol.

This lemon drop cocktail recipe reminds me of sour candy, it’s got a perfect sweet-pucker effect, especially when you add the sugared rib (just like sugared candies).

This is definitely a dessert cocktail, as it’s a bit too sweet to pair with a meal, but it is perfect for sipping on with friends – especially in the summer.

Ingredients for a Lemon Drop Cocktail

• 4 oz vodka
• 1 oz triple sec
• 2 oz simple syrup
• 2 oz lemon juice
• Lemon, for zesting

Cocktail Tips

• You can use any orange-flavored liquor to replace triple sec if you don’t have it.
• Make your own simple syrup by mixing together equal parts of water and sugar and bring to a boil on the stove until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful:

• Cocktail shaker
• Liquid measure
• Shallow plate
• Citrus zester
• Chopstick

How to Make a Lemon Drop Cocktail

1. First, sugar the rim of your glass. You can use simple syrup to attach the sugar to the rim or water. It’s a personal preference. Place the sanding sugar in a shallow dish big enough to fit the mouth of your glass in.
2. Wet the edges of the glasses (using either simple syrup or water) and then immediately dip the edge into the sanding sugar, rotating to coat the edge completely. Set aside.

3. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the remaining ingredients. Attach lid and shake well.
4. Divide the lemon drop cocktail between your glasses.
5. Zest or cut two small strips of lemon skin from your lemon, and then twist well.  I find a chopstick is great for helping get a nice spiral, but you can just twist with your fingers. Garnish the glass with the lemon twist and serve.

Do you have a favorite classic cocktail that we haven’t made yet? Leave us a comment and we’ll add it to our list!

If you need a spicy lemon cocktail to serve alongside as a fun alternative, my Spicy Lemon Club Cocktail would be the perfect addition to a Sweet n ‘Spicy cocktail duo.

Check our more cocktails from the blog below!

• Mango Margarita Slush
• Margarita
• Raspberry Gin Rickey
• Gimlet
• Strawberry Kiwi Sangria
• Blue Mermaid Cocktail

Lemon Drop Cocktail

This Lemon Drop Cocktail is a sweet and tart cocktail perfect for a ladies' night or after dinner cocktails, making the perfect alcoholic dessert.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Recipe Rate

Course: Cocktails

Cuisine: American

Course: Cocktails

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2

5 mins

Calories: 258

Author: Amanda Formaro

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 oz vodka
• ▢ 1 oz triple sec
• ▢ 2 oz simple syrup
• ▢ 2 oz lemon juice
• ▢ 1 lemon zest

Things You'll Need

• ▢
  Cocktail shaker
• ▢
  Liquid measure
• ▢
  Citrus zester
• ▢
  Chopstick

Instructions

• First, sugar the rim of your glass.

  Place the sanding sugar in a shallow dish big enough to fit the mouth of your glass in.
  

  Wet the edges of the glasses (using either simple syrup or water) and then immediately dip the edge into the sanding sugar, rotating to coat the edge completely.
  

  Set aside.
• In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the remaining ingredients.

  Attach lid and shake well.

  Divide the lemon drop cocktail between your glasses.
• Zest two small strip of lemon skin from your lemon, and then twist well.

  Garnish the glass with the lemon twist and serve.

Video

 

Expert Tips & FAQs

• You can use any orange-flavored liquor to replace triple sec if you don't have it.
• Make your own simple syrup by mixing together equal parts of water and sugar and bring to a boil on the stove until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely.

Nutrition

Serving: 1glass | Calories: 258cal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 47mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post originally appeared here on Aug 18, 2018.