Lemon Drop Shot Recipe
The Lemon Drop is a much better shot than people give it credit for. It’s tart, it’s crisp, and much like Limoncello liqueur, it can cleanse a palette as a chaser.
Mixology Bartender Kit with Stand
Silver Bar Set Cocktail Shaker Set for Drink Mixing. Bar Tools include a Martini Shaker, Jigger, Strainer, Bar Mixer Spoon, Tongs, and Opener.
Is it among the more complex drink recipes? No, it is not.
But a good cocktail, or shot in this case, doesn’t need to possess aromas of toffee and rich leather to delight. The single lemon flavor is consistent, yet bold enough to stand on its own.
That’s why you can also order Lemon Drop Cocktails, including a Lemon Drop Martini or Lemon Drop Margarita. To be fair, there’s a little bit of variation to the latter.
The shot is essentially modeled after Lemon Drop candy, with the sugared lemon doing most of the heavy lifting. In cocktail form, the Lemon Drop can be enjoyed in sips, as opposed to shooting it down.
It’s a virtual zero when it comes to prep time and it’s a super easy way to convince yourself you’ve had the appropriate amount of Vitamin C intake on the day. So yay, liquor!
Equipment to make a Lemon Drop Shot
- Cocktail Shaker
- Cocktail Sugar
- Fresh Lemon Slices
- Shot Glass
Lemon Drop Shot Ingredients
- 1oz Vodka
- 1/2oz Fresh Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1/2oz Simple Syrup
Garnish: Lemon Wedge
Substitute Ingredients
A granulated white sugar cube can replace the Simple Syrup
A lemon-flavored vodka such as Absolut Citron can be used in a pinch with a sweetener to replace the unflavored vodka and lemon juice.
Quality Vodka to use
- Absolut
- Grey Goose
- Ketel One
- Titos Handmade Vodka
How to Make a Lemon Drop Shot
- Create the sugar rim around the shot glass by rubbing a lemon wedge on the outer lip of the shot glass.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
- Pour the vodka, freshly squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup (or granulated sugar) into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake with rigorous intent.
- Pour/strain into a shot glass
- Garnish with a lemon wedge
For added fun, we like to dip the lemon wedge into the cocktail sugar. We also like to make Lemon Drop shots in bulk.
If you’re going that route, make sure to just add up the appropriate amounts. For a round of 4 shots, you are going to want to up your ingredient amounts to 4 ounces vodka, 2 ounces lemon juice and 2 ounces simple syrup.
Pros make sure that they also have 4 lemon wedges ready to garnish their shots of liquor.
Lemon Drop Mixes
To make Lemon Drop Martinis, Margaritas or even Lemon Drop Shots, you can purchase pre-made mixes to just add your favorite high quality vodka to. Here is a quick list of available mixes below. Feel free to order them right through Amazon.
- Skinny Night Out Lemon Martini Mix
- Stirrings Lemon Drop Cocktail Mix
- Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Drop Mix
- Sur La Table Lemon Drop Mix
Lemon Drop Canned Cocktails
Welcome to the new age of cocktail recipes: Canned Cocktails!
Much like special effects in movies, canned cocktails have come a long way toward replicating their real life counterparts, and in almost all cases, are much more convenient.
Canned cocktails bring the total time of preparing a cocktail down to zero. But let’s be honest, prepping your own DIY drinks is way more fun.
Anyway, here’s a list of Canned Lemon Drop Cocktails below.
- Costa Drop