Fresh Lemon Drop Drink Recipe

One of my favorite mixed drinks is the Lemon Drop. This tangy, sweet-tart, mouth-puckering drink is so refreshing! Lemon is palate cleansing, refreshing and perfect for a warm day, so maybe that is why I draw to it. It is the mixed drink I am most likely to order because it’s simple and hard to ruin. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had a bad lemon drop before. It might be assumed that a drink as easy as a lemon drop is completely fool proof, but some people still manage to make less than wonderful versions of it. There are a couple of key things to remember when making one of these classic drinks. Today I am going to share my really simple Fresh Lemon Drop Drink Recipe, so keep reading!

The best versions of the lemon drop I’ve enjoyed are also the simplest ones: vodka, lemon juice, and sugar- the end. There are a lot of lemon drop recipes that use simple syrup, and simple syrup is a favorite around here for drinks, but this is the one occasion where I do not prefer simple syrup. In my humble opinion, using sugar over simple syrup yields a superior drink. I can taste each of the 3 ingredients and they taste good. The drink just tastes tangier. With the simple syrup, even a lemon simple syrup, flavors seem muddled and not quite so lemony. This is probably because of the water in simple syrup which would naturally dilute things. If you add an ounce of simple syrup, then you are adding about 1/2 oz of water to your drink. I want my lemon drop drink to taste like a lemon drop.

The most important thing I have learned when making this cocktail is how important fresh squeezed lemon juice is. Don’t use the bottled stuff unless you want a sub-par drink. It just isn’t the same and it shows (or tastes). Also, there are recipes that add extra liqueurs and such, but again, simple is best here. I still remember the homemade Meyer lemon drops a neighbor brought over and oh my! I never thought lemon juice, vodka, and sugar could taste so good! Another thing to remember is to serve this cold. You can either pop your vodka in the freezer like I do, or you can shake it with ice in a container. Either say, serve it cold.

Today’s Fresh Lemon Drop Drink recipe is pretty darn simple- lemons, sugar, vodka- that’s it. Again, fresh squeezed lemon juice, no simple syrup, and no extra liqueurs. It is a great drink to serve for guests that many people love. One of the fun things about this drink is the sugary-lemony crusted rim on the glass. Every time you take a drink you get a burst of extra lemony sweetness. Plus, it looks good.

fresh Lemon Drop Drink Recipe

This drink is best served cold, so pop your vodka into the freezer or get out a shaker and ice.

Makes 1 – 2 drinks

2 oz. of vodka

1 oz. of fresh squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons; use lemons for zest before squeezing juice)

2 tsps. of white sugar (superfine sugar is helpful here, but not necessary)

Extra sugar (for sugared rim)

Lemon zest (for sugared rim)

Lemon slices (optional garnish)

Combine first 3 ingredients. If not cold, use a shaker and ice and shake drink for a few seconds. Then strain and serve in sugar rim glass.

For sugar rimmed glass: combine sugar and lemon zest from 1 lemon on a plate or paper towel. Taking a lemon wedge, rub it around the rim of the glass to make wet. Dip rim of glass in sugar/lemon mixture. Serve.

Sunshine in a glass!