Lemon Drop Martini Cocktail Recipe
Vodka, triple sec and lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass — sharp first, sweet immediately after.
- Category: Contemporary Classics
- Glass: Martini glass
- ABV: 22%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Vodka45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Triple sec20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Simple syrup10 ml (0.3 oz)
How to Make It
- Rim a chilled martini glass with sugar.
- Shake all ingredients with ice until well chilled.
- Double-strain into the prepared glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Garnish
Sugar rim and a lemon twist
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, the sweetness is pronounced and it smells of lemon and lime peel.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
The conical martini glass. Made for drinks served without ice — the stem keeps your hand off the bowl and the cone funnels the aroma upward.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Triple sec
- The general name for orange-peel liqueurs, running anywhere from 15% to 40% depending on the brand. That range changes the drink directly, so it is worth reading the label.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
The Story
Invented at Henry Africa's in 1970s San Francisco, one of the first bars to build drinks for people who did not like the taste of spirits.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Lemon Drop Martini mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a martini glass.
- How strong is a Lemon Drop Martini?
- Roughly 22% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Lemon Drop Martini be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Lemon Drop Martini hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.