Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

How to make a perfect lemon drop martini cocktail with a homemade lemon sugar rim. This is one of our absolute favorite cocktails to make at home. Jump to the Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

The key to the best lemon drop martini is balancing sour and sweet. Here are four things to keep in mind when making lemon drop martinis at home:

To make our lemon drops extra special, we add a simple lemon sugar rim to our glasses. You could certainly stick with plain sugar, but since you’ve already bought the lemons for the fresh lemon juice, you might as well whip up this zesty sugar, right?

One more thing — you’ll need simple syrup for this. You can buy simple syrup at the store for convenience, but it’s really easy to make at home.

Here’s our step-by-step instructions for how to make simple syrup. We made it in our recipe video, too — it only takes a few minutes.

Recipe updated, originally posted July 2010. Since posting this in 2010, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne

Easy Lemon Drop Martini Cocktail

There are three things to keep in mind when making lemon drop martinis at home. Fresh lemon juice is best, use a quality vodka, and serve the martini very cold. A few of our favorite mid-priced vodka brands are Kettle One, Stolichnaya (Stoli), and Tito’s. If you plan to make the lemon sugar, it is best to remove the zest from the lemon before juicing them for the martini. Then when you need to moisten the glass so that the sugar sticks, use the leftover lemon halves after juicing.

Prep: 10min

Total: 10min

Yield: Makes 1 drink

Nutrition Facts: calories 256, Protein 0 g, Carbohydrate 21 g, Fiber 0 g, Sugar 20 g, Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) quality vodka, try a citron vodka
• 3/4 ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) Cointreau or triple sec
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh squeezed lemon juice (Juice from 1/2 large lemon)
• 3/4 ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) simple syrup, see our recipe for simple syrup
• Ice
• Lemon sugar, for glass rim

Instruction:

1. Add sugar to a plate then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until tinted yellow and fragrant.
2. Moisten the rim of a chilled martini glass with the juiced lemon, turn the glass upside down and twist into the lemon sugar, set aside.
3. Add vodka, Cointreau (or triple sec), lemon juice, simple syrup and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds or until very cold. Strain into the prepared martini glass and serve immediately.

BEST Lemon Drop Martini

Here’s the best lemon drop martini you’ll have, made simply with vodka, Cointreau and lemon! It’s festive and refreshing, with a lemon twist and sugar rim.

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Yield: 1

Nutrition Facts: servingSize None, calories 104 calories, Sugar 4.4 g, Sodium 1.3 mg, Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 5.5 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 0.1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) citron vodka or vodka
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) Cointreau
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup
• Superfine sugar, for the rim (or substitute granulated)
• For the garnish: Lemon twist

Instruction:

1. Cut a notch in a lemon wedge, then run the lemon around the rim of a martini glass. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of superfine sugar.
2. Make the lemon twist garnish.
3. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill it with ice, and shake until cold.
4. Strain the liquid into the glass with the sugared rim. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

FAQ

What’s a lemon drop made of?

What’s the difference between a lemon drop shot and a lemon drop martini?

Why is it called a lemon drop martini?

What is a lemon drop shot made of in a bar?