Lemon Drop Martini
A deliciously sweet lemon martini made with limoncello, vodka, sweet and sour mix, and a dash of lemon. Dress it up with lemon-flavored sugar along the rim!
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Table of Contents
- About Lemon Drop Martini
- What’s in a lemon drop martini?
- What type of vodka should you use?
- Can you make this drink in advance?
- Can you make a big pitcher of lemon drop martini?
- What are the exact measurements for one drink?
- Notes & tips for this lemon martini
- More colorful drinks
- Other lemon and lime recipes
- How to make a lemon drop martini
- Recipe Details
About Lemon Drop Martini
A lemon drop martini is a classic vodka-based mixed drink with a delicious citrusy sweet and sour taste, making it a delicious choice for sipping in both warm and cool weather.
What’s in a lemon drop martini?
- Simple syrup and yellow sanding sugar – Both of these ingredients are used for decorating the glasses, giving the rim a sugary coating. You can skip these ingredients if you’d rather not decorate.
- Vodka – Give the drink a boozy kick.
- Limoncello – For a deliciously smooth candy lemon candy flavor.
- Lemon juice – For more citrus flavor.
- Granulated sugar – For extra sweetness. Could also substitute this for simple syrup or another liquid sweetener of your choice.
- Lemon slices – For garnish, totally optional.
What type of vodka should you use?
With any mixed drink, it’s best to keep the spirits simple. Save the super-expensive vodka for enjoying on its own and use vodka with lower-to-mid-range price points for blending with other flavors.
As for my personal recommendation, I tend to use Smirnoff vodka for drinks like this.
Can you make this drink in advance?
Yes, you totally can mix the core drink ingredients in advance! Prepare the drink as instructed and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before serving.
However, I would recommend holding off on decorating the glasses until just before serving. The sanding sugar will slide down the glass if left to sit for too long.
Can you make a big pitcher of lemon drop martini?
Yes! There are no special “effects” with this drink (such as layering, gradients, etc) so it’s perfectly safe to mix this drink and serve it in a big batch.
And in order to make a big batch, all you need to do is measure this drink in parts.
Recipes that measure in parts usually mean it’s written so that you can adjust the size of the drink to whatever you want. The measurements they give you (1 part, 1/2 part, etc) are so you can keep the ratio of the ingredients correct.
For example, let’s say you wanted to make one drink – this typically means you’re using 1 standard shot glass for measuring. So then when the recipe says “1 part” you would interpret that amount as “1 standard shot glass” full. If the recipe says “1/2 part” you’d fill the shot glass halfway so that it’s “1/2 standard shot glass.” OR, let’s say you wanted to make enough drinks for a few friends. When making the drink you could interpret “1 part” as “1 cup” (or “1/2 part” to “1/2 cup.”)
Given the above, to measure a lemon drop martini in parts, you would need:
- 1 part vodka
- 1 part limoncello
- 1 part lemon juice
- 2 part sweet and sour mix
- 1/2 part granulated sugar
Keep in mind that the above is just for mixing the core drink ingredients. It does not include the measurements for decorating individual drinks, since how much you need will depend on the type of glasses you use and how many guests you have. You can also choose to totally skip decorating the glasses to make serving this drink easier.
What are the exact measurements for one drink?
In a hurry and want simple measurements for just one drink? No problem! Just use this as a guide:
- 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz limoncello
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz sweet and sour mix
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Notes & tips for this lemon martini
- Like the mason jar cocktail shaker used in the recipe video? You can get a near identical one here: Mason Jar and Stainless Steel Cocktail Shaker Set. And if you already have a ton of mason jars and just need a cocktail shaker lid, you can pick one up here: Mason Jar Cocktail Shaker Lid.
- Or maybe you like the glasses it’s served in? You can get a similar set here: Classic Martini Glass.
More colorful drinks
Other lemon and lime recipes
How to make a lemon drop martini
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – If you’re decorating the glasses, dip the rim in simple syrup and then coat the wet area with yellow sanding sugar. Set the glasses (two total) nearby.
Step 2 – In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in the following ingredients: vodka, limoncello, lemon juice, sweet and sour mix, and granulated sugar.
Step 3 – Shake it until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4 – Pour and enjoy!
Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- On a small plate, add yellow sugar. Wet the rim of a glass with simple syrup (or lemon juice) and gently dab the top of the glass in the yellow sugar, coating the rim. Set glass aside.1 tablespoon yellow sugar, 1 tablespoon simple syrup
- In a cocktail shaker filled with sice, add vodka, limoncello, sweet and sour mix, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake until sugar is dissolved.1 ounce vodka, 1 ounce limoncello, 1 ounce lemon juice, 2 ounces sweet and sour mix, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Pour into prepared martini glass. Garnish with a floating slice of lemon.1 lemon
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
