Lemon Drop Martini

Some cocktails have a way of taking you back to a particular place and time. For me, the Lemon Drop Martini will always be Hong Kong.  I first made one in 2004, when we were living there. Hong Kong nightlife was buzzing. Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo were packed with restaurants and bars, and cocktail culture was flourishing alongside them. Drinks were fun, sociable and often a little playful, and the sweet, citrusy Lemon Drop fit right in.

Created in San Francisco in the 1970s and inspired by lemon drop candy, the cocktail is essentially a delicious balancing act. Fresh lemon brings the pucker, orange liqueur softens the edges, simple syrup adds just enough sweetness, and vodka keeps everything crisp and clean.

Twenty-two years later, I still love it!  Perhaps it’s nostalgia. Perhaps it’s that first bright, lemony sip. Either way, whenever I shake one, a little bit of Hong Kong comes with it.

What You Will Need

2 oz vodka
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Cointreau or your favourite orange liqueur
1/2 oz simple syrup

How To Make It

Pour about 1/4 cup of white sugar into a small bowl. Before juicing your lemon, finely grate some of the zest over the sugar. Using clean fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. This releases the fragrant lemon oils and turns an ordinary sugared rim into something much more delicious.

Once you’ve juiced the lemon, keep one half. Run it around the rim of a martini or coupe glass, then dip the glass into the lemon sugar.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, fresh lemon juice, Cointreau and simple syrup. Shake firmly until the outside of the shaker is wonderfully cold, then strain into your prepared glass.

No cocktail shaker? A large jar with a tightly fitting lid does the job beautifully.

The Culinary Chase’s Note

Here’s my little secret: add a splash of St Germain elderflower liqueur before shaking. Its delicate floral flavour slips quietly into the background and softens the sharpness of the lemon without taking away what makes a Lemon Drop so refreshing. It’s a small addition, but a lovely one.  Enjoy!

The Culinary Chase

Lemon Drop Martini

A bright, refreshing Lemon Drop Martini made with vodka, fresh lemon juice and Cointreau, finished with a fragrant lemon sugar rim and a splash of elderflower liqueur.

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Servings: 1 person

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 oz Cointreau or your favourite orange liqueur
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

Equipment

• 1 cocktail shaker can also use a large jar with a lid

Method

 

1. Pour about 1/4 cup of white sugar into a small bowl. Before juicing your lemon, finely grate some of the zest over the sugar. Using clean fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. This releases the fragrant lemon oils and turns an ordinary sugared rim into something much more delicious.
2. Once you’ve juiced the lemon, keep one half. Run it around the rim of a martini or coupe glass, then dip the glass into the lemon sugar.
3. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, fresh lemon juice, Cointreau and simple syrup. Shake firmly until the outside of the shaker is wonderfully cold, then strain into your prepared glass.

Notes

Here’s my little secret: add a splash of St Germain elderflower liqueur before shaking. Its delicate floral flavour slips quietly into the background and softens the sharpness of the lemon without taking away what makes a Lemon Drop so refreshing. It’s a small addition, but a lovely one. Enjoy!