How to Make a Damn Good Lemon Drop Martini
How to Make a DAMN GOOD Lemon Drop Martini
This is how you make the best lemon drop martinis in town!
Making a DAMN GOOD Lemon Drop Martini is not as difficult as you think. All you need are some basic ingredients and a little know-how to create this elevated cocktail. A refreshing easy cocktail that packs some serious punch, lemon drop martinis are your new best friend. They're easy to make and always taste amazing.
Here's everything you need to know in order to make the best lemon martini at home and impress everyone with your mixology skills.
About This Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
As a former bartender for years, the one thing I know is making cocktails that are DAMN GOOD. And one of my personal favorites is the lemon drop martini - it's just so refreshing and delicious. Plus it's not too hard to make either!
I'm sure you've heard of this recipe before, but it's worth repeating for those who haven't yet tried one- they're DAMN GOOD! The perfect mix of tartness from the lemon juice, sweetness from the sugar, smoothness from sweet & sour, alcohol from vodka, and tanginess from triple sec = yummm!
Can’t get enough cocktail recipes? Be sure to try my Italian Margarita, El Pepino (Spanish for cucumber) cocktail, and Cinnamon Whiskey Mule too!
Let's Talk Triple Sec
What is Triple Sec?
Triple Sec is an orange-flavored liqueur with an alcohol content of around 20% ABV (40 proof). Easy to remember, triple sec means triple distilled and is created by soaking orange peels in alcohol for at least 24 hours before distillation.
There are plenty of great drinks that rely on Triple Sec, for example, a Margarita and Cosmopolitan. If your home bar isn't stocked with triple sec, make sure to grab a bottle of your preferred orange liqueur next time when you go to the liquor store.
Cointreau vs Grand Marnier
A lot of people are confused about the difference between Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Both are a type of orange liqueur but each offers a different flavor profile.
Grand Marnier is made from sweet oranges and Cognac which gives it a more spicy flavor than Cointreau.
Cointreau is created from a blend of sugarcane and bitter orange peels. It's a bit lighter than Grand Marnier and has a more straightforward citrus flavor.
What's the Best Vodka for a Lemon Drop Martini?
As with all martini recipes, the vodka you choose can really make or break a lemon drop martini.
For the Best Lemon Drop Martini
Honestly, you can't really go wrong with whatever vodka you choose. Just remember to avoid the cheap stuff and pick up something mid-range high-quality vodka.
For the Most Flavorful Lemon Drops
Reach for a bottle of citron vodka (lemon flavor). Citron vodka has real lemon juice in it while some other flavored vodkas are just sugary and artificially flavored. The taste of citron is balanced and flavorful like fresh squeezed lemon juice.
How Do You Make a Lemon Twist Garnish?
A lemon twist is a super easy garnish to use in cocktails. It only requires the peel of one lemon, no juice or pulp!
Here's How You Can Easily Make a Lemon Twist at Home:
Take a fresh lemon or lime. Cut it in half and remove the ring. Make a cut all the way up the skin side of the peel, cutting through one side of it and then stopping before cutting through the rind at the other end. Next, remove the pulp from the peel so that you have one long, thin strip of peel. Lastly, twist the peel until it forms a curly-q shape.
Tools You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
Here are a few essential tools you’ll need to make the best Lemon Drop Martini
As a former bartender, I highly recommend this Mixology and Craft Cocktail Starter Kit. This 4-piece set comes with a stainless steel Boston Cocktail Shaker, a strainer, and a 2-sided jigger for the perfect 1 ounce and 2 ounces pour.
Citrus Juicer - a necessity for making this easy cocktail, get more freshly squeezed lemon juice every time with this little gadget.
This perfect cocktail deserves to be served in a martini glass. These modern stemless martini glasses are similar to a cocktail glass and easier to hold and are dishwasher safe. Or try these traditional 12 ounce set of 6 tall martini glasses for a fancier sophisticated feel.
Don't forget this pretty and functional Sugar Rimmer.
A Few More Cocktail Recipes
If you liked this lemon drop recipe, then you'll love these too!
“Now let’s get to mixing, so we can get to sipping!”
The DAMN GOOD Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
Servings: 1 Cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces (good quality) Vodka or Citron Vodka
1 1/2 ounces Triple Sec
1 ounce Sweet and Sour
1 teaspoon Superfine Sugar (if not, granulated sugar will work too)
1 Lemon (cut into lemon wedges)
Optional:
Sugar (to rim the martini glass)
Lemon twist (garnish)
*Although this recipe doesn't use simple syrup, trust me, it's still DAMN GOOD!
Instructions:
How to Make the Best Lemon Drop Martini Cocktail
How to Rim the Glass: Pour a thin layer of sugar onto a small plate. Take a lemon wedge and run it along the rim of the glass to moisten it. Then turn the glass upside down and dip the rim of the martini glass in the sugar at a 45-degree angle, rotating until coated. Chill the martini glass in the freezer while preparing your cocktail.
Shake and Serve: Add the vodka, triple sec, sweet and sour, sugar, and fresh lemon juice from a lemon wedge or two to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Close tightly and shake like hell until the outside becomes frosty. Strain into the chilled sugar rim prepared glass. Get fancy and garnish with the lemon twist (instructions above).
Cheers!
Thank You
I hope you've enjoyed this recipe for a DAMN GOOD Lemon Drop Martini. A refreshing and easy cocktail with vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice, you’ll be mixing them up in your cocktail shaker in no time. Now, go make some and show off your skills!
Leave me a comment below to let me know how it went or if there's anything else you want more information about.
-XOXO (as always)
Mel D.
Photography by Melissa "Mel" Drake
DAMN GOOD Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
- Ice cubes
- 1 1/2 ounces Vodka or Citron Vodka
- 1 1/2 ounces Triple Sec
- 1 ounce Sweet and Sour
- 1 teaspoon Superfine Sugar (granulated sugar will work too)
- 1 Lemon (cut into wedges)
- Sugar
- Lemon twist (garnish)
Instructions
- Pour a thin layer of sugar onto a small plate. Run a lemon wedge along the rim to moisten it. Turn the glass upside down and dip in sugar at a 45-degree angle, rotating until coated. Chill the martini glass in the freezer while preparing your cocktail.
- Add vodka, triple sec, sweet and sour, sugar, and juice from a lemon wedge or two to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Close tightly and shake until outside becomes frosty.
- Strain into chilled sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with the lemon twist and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
298.24Fat
0.26Sat. Fat
0.03Carbs
37.95Fiber
2.38Net carbs
35.57Sugar
26.66Protein
1.00Sodium
108.86Cholesterol
0.00*Nutrition content is calculated from a food database and should be regarded as an estimate
Where You Can Find Me on Social Media
Same place; same bat channel
@ThisIsMelDrake
THE ‘GRAM (the pretty pictures): https://www.instagram.com/thisismeldrake
PINTEREST (the inspiration): https://www.pinterest.com/thisismeldrake
FACEBOOK (a little this + a little that): https://www.facebook.com/thisismeldrake
TWITTER (the sass + musings): https://twitter.com/thisismeldrake
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*Originally published in April 2020, this post has been updated by Mel Drake to add the new sections of "About This Lemon Drop Martini", "Let's Talk Triple Sec", "What's the Best Vodka", "How to Make a Lemon Twist" and "Tools You'll Need to Make this Recipe" weren't included in the original post. The recipe has been updated along with structural and grammatical changes as well.
