The lemon drop martini is my favorite cocktail. Simple to prepare, and lemony perfection to drink. Try my lemon sugar recipe on the rim – it is excellent! You can make these a few at a time or mix up as a big batch cocktail for a party. Perfect for the holidays, bridal showers, Easter brunch, or summer BBQs.
I originally shared this recipe back in 2017, and today I’m updating it with new information and my best tips after making these lemon drops for over a decade.
The iconic lemon drop martini is one of my go to drinks. I’m a die hard lemon lover and the contrast of sweet and pucker of a lemon drop is perfection in my eyes. This was one of the drinks we served at my formal dress up 30th birthday party and it was a hit!
I also make these often for girl’s night or as the main cocktail at a party. They are such a great all around drink.
How To Make a Lemon Drop Martini
The key to a delicious lemon drop is balancing the tart and sweet. This recipe is sweeter where some recipes are dryer and more tart. What can I say? I’m a sweet girl!
I enjoy really savoring a cocktail from the experience of making it to sipping it with friends. This isn’t a game of quarters – it’s a ritual for the enjoyment of the process.
I start with chilled glasses. You can store martini glasses in the freezer if you make them regularly or just pop them in 20 minutes before you want to serve. But the chilled glass helps keep the drink colder longer and enhances the ambience.
Next I move on to making a delightful lemon sugar rim. This is an easy task that pushes the drink up a notch! All you need to do is zest some lemon peel and combine it with sugar. Did you watch Love Actually? “It’s the work of a moment.”
Wipe the rim of the glass with a lemon or a damp paper towel and dip it in the lemon sugar. Presto fancyness!
Now you put the ingredients in the cocktails shaker – shake, pour, sip…. Ahhhhhh.
The Best Lemon Drop Martinis Are Made From Scratch
Every time I see cocktail mix for lemon drop martinis I cringe. Why oh why?
Sure, I’m all about simple mixes when you need them but a good lemon drop is the world’s easiest drink! No mix required. Ever…
If I want the simplest martini ever, I buy good quality lemonade at the store. Simply Lemonade makes a wonderful lemonade that is as good as homemade (if you ask me). Sometimes I buy a bag of lemons or even Meyer lemons at Costco and squeeze my own. Either way you get an excellent lemon drop martini – no mix required!
Get a Good Cocktail Shaker To Make Lemon Drops
Do you need a cocktail shaker to make lemon drop martinis? It is ideal but you don’t have to own one. The purpose of a cocktail shaker is to mix, aerate and perfectly chill all the ingredients over ice and then strain them into a glass for serving. In a pinch you can shake cocktails over ice in a Mason Jar with a tight lid.
This shaking process is more important for mixing in drinks that include dairy or egg white. Using a cocktail shaker also nicely aerates cocktails but assuming you have not taken up high end bartending you can get away without one.
The idea behind a cocktail shaker is that it adds just the perfect amount of water from tiny pieces of ice breaking off. I’m not even going to pretend that I’m that fancy. I enjoy the process of shaking and it is the easiest way to make a few cocktails quickly.
I like using a nice metal shaker like this one from OXO. If you are going to buy one don’t buy a plastic one – some could impact the flavor of the drink and most don’t insulate the ice well enough.
My Favorite Lemon Vodka for Lemon Drops
I’m a fan of lemon vodka for making lemon drop martinis. I know you could use plain but what fun is that? I think my go big or go home personality is showing but I really enjoy a good lemon vodka.
Sadly, my favorite lemon vodkas are getting harder to find in my area and I’m not enjoying the ones I am finding as much.
My First Choice: 360 Sorrento Lemon Vodka – sweet and flavorful, reasonable price and a fun bottle! It leans towards the flavor of an Italian Lemoncello. I can’t get it locally anymore but hopefully it is available in other areas of the country. It seems you can order it online here though I’ve not tried it.
My Second Choice: Svedka used to make a straight Lemon Vodka. Now they make just a Citron Lemon but I haven’t found it locally. Do you see a theme? I think I see an online liquor order in my future…. I can’t find the straight up lemon version anymore which is sad – it was so good!
Other Options: Deep Eddy Lemon vodka is nice – it is less sweet. Sometimes you can find a Smirnoff Citrus vodka that is pleasant. I suggest trying a few different options until you find your favorite! There are so many craft options these days that you might find something really fun only available in your region.
How To Make a Party Size Batch of Lemon Drop Martinis
You can totally make a big batch of lemon drop martinis in advance and have it ready for a party. I suggest an elegant glass pitcher like this Libbey Yucatan to serve the drinks.
To Make 8 Lemon Drop Martinis: Mix 3 cups of lemonade with 1 cup of lemon vodka. Store in a pretty pitcher in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
To Make 32 Lemon Drop Martinis: Mix 12 cups of lemonade with 4 cups of lemon vodka. Store in a pretty pitcher in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
What Food Goes Well With Lemon Drop Martinis?
Lemon Drops go well with salty snacks, cheese platters and fresh veggie forward appetizers. These recipes are a perfect fit:
- Broccoli with Korean BBQ Dipping Sauce
- Ultimate Homemade French Onion Dip
- Artichoke Parmesan Dip
- Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups
- Korean Beef Lettuce Cups
What is the difference between a Lemon Drop Martini and a Lemon Drop Shot?
A lemon drop martini is a full cocktail served in a cocktail glass and suited to sipping.
A lemon drop shot is a smaller drink meant for shooting. The lemon drop shot is often just lemon juice, simple syrup and vodka in a shot class , “Into the hatch, over the gums, look out stomach, here it comes”.
What Is The Best Equipment to Make Cocktails at Home?
You probably don’t need a full cocktail set of tools – more to store that you likely won’t use. They look pretty but unless you make a really wide variety of cocktails frequently most of it will gather dust. Instead these are the pieces worth focusing on.
Cocktail Shaker: My favorite shaker is this simple metal one from OXO. It is durable and pretty while also going into the dishwasher for easy cleanup. The lid doubles as a measuring cup for alcohol and it has a nice straining system for pouring out cocktails. We love ours so much I buy them as gifts for family and friends.
(I did notice recently that YETI sells one that looks beautiful. It is a little bit more pricy than the OXO but it comes in a bunch of colors and usually YETI has great quality drink stuff.)
Muddler: Buy a muddler IF you are going to make cocktails that need muddling. Otherwise skip it. I bought an OXO one so I could toss it in the dishwasher but there are also more elegant muddlers made out of wood or other materials.
Martini Glasses: You can pour a drink in any sort of vessel but I enjoy serving martinis in martini glasses. You can buy expensive ones or something more practical.
Zester: If you enjoy citrus cocktails or baking I strongly encourage a good quality zester. This Microplane earned a place in my kitchen probably close to 20 years ago and I’m never letting it go.
More Fruit Cocktails to Love
- My Perfect Pomegranate Martini (Ruth Chris Steakhouse Copycat)
- Fresh Strawberry Lemon Drop Martini
- Blended Mango Margarita
Need a tasty, salty appetizer to serve with these drinks? Try my popular Blistered Shishito Peppers!
The Perfect Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
To Make Sugar To Rim Glasses
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 giant lemon or 2 medium lemons
To Make Martinis
- 3/4 cup lemonade good quality lemonade Simply Lemonade is excellent or use fresh lemons make your own
- 2 oz lemon or citrus vodka (this is too shots) 360 Sorrento Lemon Vodka is a favorite
To Make Your Own Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar or ultra fine granulated baking sugar
- 2 cups water or club soda
Instructions
- Place martini glasses in freezer to chill while you prepare the drinks.
- Start by making sugar to rim the glasses. Zest one or two lemons.
- Choose a small dish with sides big enough to dip the rim of the glass you plan to use. Combine the 1/3 cup sugar and lemon zest together in the bowl. Use your fingers to mash/squish it together until thoroughly mixed.
- Take a small slice of lemon and rub around the entire rim of the chilled glass. Dip the damp rim into your sugar mixture and set the glass aside to dry.
- Select a high quality lemonade or make your own by combining fresh squeezed lemon juice and granulated sugar with water, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- To make two martinis combine ¾ cup lemonade with 2 shots vodka. Shake over ice in a cocktail shaker and serve in chilled, sugar rimmed glasses. Drink and repeat!
Helpful Recipe Notes
Your Rating Matters
When you leave a comment or star rating, it means more than you might think. It helps me understand what you’re enjoying, builds trust for other readers, and supports real, tested cooking content. If you have a moment, I’d truly appreciate you sharing your experience. - Mirlandra
Nutrition Estimate
A Note on Nutrition
Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.
ayemyathanta says
Nice post. Thanks
Mirlandra says
You are most welcome!
Debbie Freeman says
Hi Mirlandra! I am making your Lemondrop Martini and would like to know how many ounces your “shot of citrus vodka” is? So many different “opinions” on how many ozs. = a shot! ? Thanks & your recipe IS JUST THE ONE I have been looking for!
Mirlandra says
There are so many opinions out there on what a shot is! I use 1oz sometimes and 1.5oz sometimes depending on how strong of a drink I want. You could do either here – both taste great. Let me know how you like it!
Debbie Freeman says
Hi Mirandra! Thanks so much for getting back to me! Your recipe is how they made it at my favorite watering hole, EXCEPT the bartender that made it the best is gone and NO ONE can match her martini making ability! I’ll let ya know how it goes the next shake around! ?
Mirlandra says
Oh I’m SO glad! Keep me posted 🙂
Dana says
How do make these in a batch?
Mirlandra says
I just multiply the recipe so I have enough for the number of people I want. Or, if I don’t know really how many my guests will drink sometimes I make a little sign with the recipe and then set the ingredients out on the bar. I rim the glasses with sugar and guests enjoy getting to be their own bartenders! Hope your party is a success!