Lemon Drop Martini
This Lemon Drop Martini is a perfect combination of sweet and sour in a refreshing cocktail. This classic cocktail has only four ingredients – good quality vodka, fresh lemon juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.
Sip on more of citrus simple cocktails like the Classic Daiquiri and The Perfect Cosmopolitan!
Table of Contents
This is one of my favorite vodka martinis out there and I know I’m not the only one! The refreshing sweet and sour flavor combination makes this cocktail very popular. And this recipe is so easy, you can make this classic cocktail at home in just 5 minutes.
There are only four ingredients here, so it’s important to choose the best ones. Pick your favorite vodka and remember, if you wouldn’t drink it straight, don’t mix it into a martini. Mix this vodka with fresh squeezed lemon juice and some simple syrup for sweetness. I absolutely adore the flavor addition of orange liqueur too. It’s another layer of citrus flavor with great aroma.
You can enjoy lemon drop martinis with dinner! They go nicely with chicken and seafood dishes. This is also a great dessert cocktail to cleanse your palate after dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Vodka – Always choose good quality vodka for a because it’s one of the main ingredients and it will affect the taste.
Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is the best for the fresh, authentic flavor.
Orange Liqueur – Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or Triple Sec will work well here. Cointreau and Grand Marnier are considered top shelf and will cost more, while Triple Sec is your cheaper option. If you have any extra, use it to make the other cocktails like Cadillac Margarita.
Sweetener – To make your own simple syrup, all you need to do is combine 1 cup of white granulated sugar with 1 cup of hot (boiling) water. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. That’s it!
Superfine sugar – use superfine white granulated sugar for the sugar rim. Superfine sugar will give you a pleasant sweetness without the larger granules to chew on.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make a Lemon Drop Martini
Pour everything into a shaker. Pour the lemon juice (1), vodka (2), orange liqueur (3) and simple syrup (4) into a cocktail shaker.
Rim the glass. Rub a slice of lemon against the rim of the glass. Dip it in sugar to create a sugar rim (5).
Shake it up. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake everything vigorously to combine (6).
Pour. Strain the martini into a rimmed glass.
Tips for the Best Lemon Drop Martini
- For the best results, always use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Bottled lemon juice will not work well when it’s the main ingredient. Fresh lemon juice has a much better (and for lack of a better word) fresher flavor.
- Try to use good quality vodka. Even though it’s mixed with lemon and simple syrup, you’ll still taste the flavor of vodka if it’s a much cheaper bottle. Remember, vodka is supposed to be flavorless and smooth.
- Make the simple syrup yourself. Store-bought simple syrup is easy, but it’s WAY too sweet! If you know the brand well and always use it, then you’ll know how to work with it. Otherwise, make a batch of 1:1 simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) at home and store it in the airtight container in the refrigerator. It only takes a few minutes to toss together.
- Use superfine white granulated sugar for the sugar rim. Superfine sugar will give you a pleasant sweetness without the grittiness of plain granulated sugar.
Recipe FAQs
The difference between a lemon drop shot and a lemon drop martini is basically the size. A flavored martini is a sip-able drink that’s usually 4-6 oz. A shot is meant to be taken in one large gulp and it roughly 1.5-2 oz. A shooter is another way to refer to a shot. A shooter is made of mixed ingredients, whereas a shot is just straight up liquor!
Absolutely! This recipe makes a 5 oz martini and a standard shot/shooter is 1.5 to 2 oz. You can get 3 shots comfortably out of this martini. Feel free to double the recipe in the shaker to get 6 shooters.
Yes. There’s about 5 oz of liquid in the glass and 3 of those oz are liquor.
Yes! Just double check all of the labels of your ingredients to make sure.
Sure thing. Just shake all of the ingredients, strain it into a glass (or cup with a lid for storage) and keep it chilled in the fridge for a few hours until ready to serve.
More Delicious Martini Recipes
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Easy Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka good quality
- 1 oz orange liqueur like triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- fine sugar for the rim
Instructions
Rim:
- Run a slice of lemon along the rim of a martini glass to wet it and give the rim a touch of lemon flavor.
- Dip the rim in some fine sugar all around its perimeter.
Martini:
- Add some ice to the cocktail shaker and then pour in freshly squeezed lemon juice, vodka, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.
- Close the shaker and give it a few shakes to mix everything together.
- Pour martini into the prepared glass and garnish with a lemon slice or lemon twist.
Notes
- For the best results, always use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Bottled lemon juice will not work well when it’s the main ingredient. Fresh lemon juice has a much better (and for lack of a better word) fresher flavor.
- Try to use good quality vodka. Even though it’s mixed with lemon and simple syrup, you’ll still taste the flavor of vodka if it’s a much cheaper bottle. Remember, vodka is supposed to be flavorless and smooth.
- Make the simple syrup yourself. Store-bought simple syrup is easy, but it’s WAY too sweet! If you know the brand well and always use it, then you’ll know how to work with it. Otherwise, make a batch of 1:1 simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) at home and store it in the airtight container in the refrigerator. It only takes a few minutes to toss together.
- Use superfine white granulated sugar for the sugar rim. Superfine sugar will give you a pleasant sweetness without the grittiness of plain granulated sugar.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in July 2020.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I love the lemon drop martini
I am so glad you liked it, Becky!
This was delicious! I originally used only half of the lemon juice (I’ve made some recipes that were too lemony before, but then couldn’t back off on the lemon) but then added it back as the taste of the Grand Marnier was too strong. This recipe has the perfect ratio of ingredients and am making it again for tonight. Thank you!
I love that it was perfect for you, Debbie!
This was really nice, not as sour as I thought it would be.
Hi George,
I am so glad you liked it! I think it’s a good summer drink! 😉
Tried this combination of Martini for the first time. I loved it. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Paul,
I am so glad you liked it!