A Lemon Drop Martini should hit two notes: bright from the lemon, sweet enough to stay drinkable. This one uses citrus vodka alongside fresh lemon juice, and the double citrus is what makes the sharpness feel intentional instead of just sharp. Make it once and the bar version becomes hard to go back to.
What makes this different:
The citrus vodka does two things at once: it adds a second layer of lemon flavor and gives the finish a smoothness that plain vodka doesn't. Most homemade lemon drops end up too sharp or too sweet. This ratio has been tested enough times to know exactly where the sweet and the tart stop fighting each other.
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What I Learned Making This Recipe
Here's what I figured out after a lot of rounds of testing: the lemon juice to sweetener ratio is everything. Go too heavy on the simple syrup and you lose the tart edge that makes a lemon drop worth drinking. Go too light and it's harsh. The citrus vodka is what holds the whole thing together. It adds enough of a lemon base that the fresh juice has somewhere to land, and the flavor reads as intentional instead of just sharp.
The other thing worth knowing: 30 seconds of shaking is not optional. When you shake a cocktail over ice, small chips break off and slightly dilute the drink. That dilution is doing real work here. It softens the alcohol, rounds the edges, and brings the drink into balance.
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Five Star Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OMG. This is sooooo good! Testing one now. Perfect proportions on all of the ingredients! Making a batch of 32 for this Sunday. Everyone will love it!
- Brenda
Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredient notes
- Citrus vodka. This is the ingredient that makes this recipe different. The extra citrus layer gives the drink a brightness and smoothness that regular vodka doesn't bring on its own. I use Absolut Citron most often. Belvedere, Grey Goose, and Stoli all make citrus versions that work well here. If you only have regular vodka, the drink still works. The flavor will be slightly flatter and a bit tarter, which is worth knowing going in.
- Fresh lemon juice. Non-negotiable. Bottled lemon juice has a processed, slightly chemical edge that shows up in the glass. Fresh lemon juice is clean and sharp in a way bottled doesn't come close to. It takes less than a minute to squeeze, and the difference is significant. One large lemon usually gives you enough for a single cocktail.
- Orange liqueur. Triple Sec and Cointreau are both orange liqueurs and work interchangeably here. Cointreau has a cleaner flavor and a higher proof. Triple Sec is more affordable. For a single cocktail, either is fine. If you're making a pitcher, Triple Sec makes more financial sense.
- Simple Syrup: Find it at any grocery store, or make your own simple syrup in about 5 minutes with sugar and water.
- Superfine sugar (for the rim). The finer grain is what makes this work. Regular granulated sugar stays gritty on your lips with each sip. Superfine dissolves on contact. If you can't find it, pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds.
Instructions
Rim your glass
Add superfine sugar to a small plate, run a lemon wedge around the edge of a martini glass, and dip the rim in sugar.
Fill the Shaker
Load a cocktail shaker with ice and add all four ingredients.
Shake
Shake hard until the outside of the shaker is very cold.
Strain & Serve
Strain into the prepared glass and serve immediately.
My Best tips
- Use citrus vodka. The flavor difference from regular vodka is subtle but real. The citrus layer rounds out the fresh lemon juice and makes the drink taste more cohesive. Plain vodka works; citrus vodka works better.
- Shake for the full 30 seconds. As you shake, small ice chips break off and slightly dilute the cocktail. That dilution is what softens the alcohol and brings the sweet and sour into balance. Under-shake and the drink is harsher than it should be.
- Squeeze your own lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice has an edge that doesn't blend in, even when it's mixed with everything else. Squeeze your own. It takes 45 seconds and the difference is real.
- Use superfine sugar on the rim, not regular. Regular granulated sugar is too coarse. It stays gritty with each sip instead of dissolving. Superfine disappears on contact. No superfine on hand? A few seconds in the food processor turns regular sugar into superfine.
- Chill your glass before you pour. A warm martini glass starts warming your drink the second it lands. Pop the glass in the freezer for 5 minutes, or fill it with ice water while you prep and dump it out before pouring.
Make it for a crowd
To make a pitcher for 8:
- 16 oz citrus vodka
- 12 oz fresh lemon juice
- 8 oz triple sec
- 6 oz simple syrup
Combine in a pitcher and refrigerate until cold. Rim the glasses with superfine sugar and pour the chilled mixture directly in. No shaking required for the batch.
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Recipe
Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
- Superfine sugar for glasses
- lemon wedges for rimming and garnishing
- 2 ounces Citrus vodka
- 1½ ounces Fresh lemon Juice (from about one large lemon)
- 1 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau)
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
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Instructions
- Add superfine sugar to a small plate. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a martini glass and dip it into the sugar to coat. Set aside.Superfine sugar for glasses, lemon wedges for rimming and garnishing
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.2 ounces Citrus vodka, 1½ ounces Fresh lemon Juice, 1 ounce orange liqueur , ¾ ounce simple syrup
- Shake hard for at least 30 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is very cold and frost beings to form.
- Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Citrus vodka: Absolut Citron is my go-to. Belvedere, Grey Goose, and Stoli all make citrus versions. Regular vodka works, but the flavor will be slightly flatter.
- Orange liqueur: Triple Sec and Cointreau are interchangeable here. Cointreau has a cleaner flavor; Triple Sec is more affordable.
- Simple syrup: Equal parts sugar and water, heated until dissolved. Store-bought works too.
- Superfine sugar: If you can't find it, pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds.
- To make a pitcher for 8: 16 oz citrus vodka, 12 oz fresh lemon juice, 8 oz triple sec, 6 oz simple syrup. Mix, refrigerate until cold, and pour directly into rimmed glasses.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
G says
Need to make a pitcher for a Christmas Brunch any suggestions on ratio
Hi! You can just multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of cocktails you want to make and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it! Hope that helps! Happy Holidays!
FC says
Okay so I did make one change. I used St Germain instead of triple sec. I grinded the sugar in a coffee. Grinder. This was delicious.
Dave D. says
This is the best Lemon Drop recipe I’ve found!! Thanks!
Brenda says
OMG. This is sooooo good! Testing one now. Perfect proportions on all of the ingredients! Making a batch of 32 for this Sunday. Everyone will love it!
Hi Brenda- Thanks for your feedback! It is one of our favorite cocktails and is perfect for a party! Cheers!
Katrina says
"it takes minimal effort to squeeze a lemon" but maximal effort to go out and buy fresh lemons in the middle of winter when you have lemon juice in the fridge???
Fair point! But still worth it in my opinion 🙂 Cheers!