The Simple Lemon Drop Cocktail

Name: The Lemon Drop Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 oz. vodka (- or citron vodka); ½ oz. Triple sec (- or Cointreau); 1 oz. simple syrup (- 50/50 sugar and water); 1 oz. fresh lemon juice; 1 lemon slice (- or sugar for garnish)

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This pretty little lemon drop cocktail is the most refreshing, citrusy cocktail for hot summer afternoons! Best served in a frosted glass, it’s delicately sweet, a little tart and tastes just like sunshine!

A Lemon Drop cocktail, garnished with a lemon slice and 3 small daisies on a table, with a bouquet in the background.

Lemon Drop cocktails are perfect for summer cocktail parties, or for drinking by the pool. I HIGHLY recommend making a big batch of this cocktail for any bridal or baby shower. You can also rim the glasses with a little sugar to make them extra cute, but I prefer a lemon slice garnish, myself.

If you’re serving pretty Lemon Drops at a cocktail party, and want to serve them with equally enchanting appetizers, I think they would pair perfectly with my Beautiful Pesto Ricotta Crostini, don’t you?!

Crostini garnished with daisies, onions and tomatoes on a marble plate

To make this pretty Lemon Drop garnish, simply slice a lemon and pierce through the center with a cocktail pin. Remove the pin, and needle the stems of a few small, edible (well-washed) flowers through the hole.

I used Feverfew flowers for my garnish. They’re tiny, edible flowers that look like pretty little daisies.

2 numbered images showing how to create a lemon garnish.

Common Questions

1. Is a Lemon Drop cocktail sweet?

Yes, although it’s not overly-sweet. Think of it as a perfectly sweetened lemonade cocktail.

2. Is a Lemon Drop cocktail the same as a “Lemon Drop Martini”?

Nope, although it’s often mistaken as such. A “martini,” strictly speaking, is gin, vermouth and an olive. But bars tend to label drinks served in a martini glass as a “martini.”

Ingredients in recipes for “Lemon Drop Martinis” have included limoncello, lemon pulp, and I’ve even seen a recipe for nothing but lemon juice, vodka and a sugared rim. But again, strictly speaking, these are not “Lemon Drops.” They’re just other kinds of tasty cocktails.

A lemon slice garnish, with daisies in the center, on the edge of a cocktail glass.

A Few Tips

1. Rim the glass with sugar by running a lemon wedge around the rim, and dipping it in sugar.

2. Use honey or maple syrup instead of simple syrup to sweeten it.

3. Use Cointreau liqueur instead of Triple Sec, or even Grand Marnier if you want to make it a “Cadillac Lemon Drop.”

4. You can use Absolut Citron vodka instead of standard vodka if you’d like to add a little more citrus flavor.

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A Lemon Drop cocktail, garnished with a lemon slice and daisies on a table, with a bouquet in the background.

The Lemon Drop Cocktail

This pretty little lemon drop cocktail is the most refreshing, citrusy cocktail for sunny afternoons! Best served in a frosted glass, it’s delicately sweet, a little tart and tastes just like sunshine!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: cocktail

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

▢
cocktail shaker
▢
frosted glass

Ingredients

▢ 2 oz. vodka – or citron vodka
▢ ½ oz. Triple sec – or Cointreau
▢ 1 oz. simple syrup – 50/50 sugar and water
▢ 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
▢ 1 lemon slice – or sugar for garnish

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a frosted coup glass.

Notes

A Few Tips:

This is a classic Lemon Drop recipe, but if you want to make your Lemon Drop extra special? Here are a few ways:

• Rim the glass with sugar by running a lemon wedge around the rim, and dipping it in sugar.

• Use honey or maple syrup instead of simple syrup to sweeten it.

• Use Cointreau liqueur instead of Triple Sec, or even Grand Marnier if you want to make it a “Cadillac Lemon Drop.”

• You can use Citron vodka instead of standard vodka if you’d like to add a little more citrus flavor.

Nutrition