Classy and Electrifying: How To Make a Lemon Drop Martini

Add a touch of class to your next celebration by whipping up a homemade lemon drop martini. This cocktail recipe and guide walk you through the entire process.

Are you looking for a tasty way to cool off while impressing your friends with your cocktail-making prowess this Summer? Then look no further than the classic lemon drop martini.

The lemon drop is a sweet and sour citrus cocktail that's been a favorite since its inception all the way back in 1969. And, while it may look intimidating to bartending beginners, the lemon drop is shockingly easy to concoct.

Are you ready to get shaking (literally)? Here's how to make a classic lemon drop martini.

Gather Your Gear

First things first, before you start mixing, you're going to need the right equipment and ingredients to get the job done. Fortunately, lemon drops are deceptively simple, so you won't have to worry about having to gather up too much.

Ingredient-wise, to make a lemon drop martini, you're going to need vodka, triple sec, freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice, simple syrup, sugar for the rim, and a fresh lemon peel for garnish. If you don't have simple syrup at home, don't panic, you can always make some yourself!

As for gear, you'll need a classic martini glass to serve your concoction in, a cocktail shaker, and plenty of ice.

How to Mix a Delicious Lemon Drop Martini

To make your lemon drop, you'll have to start by prepping your glass. Start by pouring some sugar and lemon juice into separate shallow bowls or plates. Then turn your martini glass upside down and dip the rim in the lemon juice. Follow that up by carefully dipping or rolling the rim in the sugar to create that classic sugar rim look. Once that's done, you can start on the actual cocktail.

Start by filling your cocktail shaker up with ice. Then add in 3 oz of vodka, 2 oz of lemon juice, and 1/2 oz of triple sec and simple syrup. Pop the top on your shaker and shake all of the ingredients up, and strain the finished product into your prepared glass.

Finish your cocktail off by adding a slice of lemon peel to the glass for a garnish.

How to Make Simple Syrup

While you can buy simple syrup in pretty much any liquor store, if you have some sugar sitting around in your pantry, you can just as easily make it yourself.

Start by adding 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar to a saucepan and bringing the whole thing to a simmer. Once all of the sugar dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely before using it in any cocktails or risk melting all your ice.

Once your homemade simple syrup cools, you can pop it in a jar or bottle and leave it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

The Perfect Poolside Cocktail

Now that you know how easy it is to make a lemon drop martini, why not give it a try? After all, there's a good reason that this particular cocktail is considered a staple at bars across the globe.

For more delicious citrus recipes to try, including a variety of citrus cuisines and cocktails, visit our Citrus Delight blog!

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Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

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