Lemon Drop Martini Recipe | Bon Appétit

Is a lemon drop really a martini? No. Yet, for those who love the idea of a martini but need more than a spritz of lemon zest (or spoonful of olive juice) to tame their booze, it sure is refreshing. The drink is closer to a “crusta,” a combination of spirit, lemon juice, sugar, and bitters served from a cocktail glass with a sugared rim. While that template has been around since at least the 1860s, this lemony variation started popping up at San Francisco fern bar happy hours in the 1970s.

With so few ingredients, you’ll taste each one, so use good vodka and good triple sec. Avoid flavored citron vodkas, which will mar the fresh lemon flavor that makes this cocktail sing. If you don’t have Cointreau (a type of triple sec), reach for another orange liqueur, like dry curaçao. For the simple syrup, regular granulated sugar works fine, but know that superfine sugar will dissolve more readily with this no-heat method—and, if you don’t care to shake, you could always put your blender to work. A strip of lemon peel makes an elegant finish, but a thin lemon wheel or slice dropped into the glass is also nice.

A note about technique: Shake well and shake hard. Why? First, cocktails that combine spirits and mixers (fresh citrus juice and simple syrup, in this case) require more than a gentle stir to meld all the flavors properly. Secondly, water is an essential ingredient—albeit an unannounced one—in most cocktail recipes, and a firm shake encourages the ice cubes to dilute, ultimately bringing balance to the drink. And finally, as is true of many classic cocktails, the best lemon drops are frosty cold. A metal shaker will help get you there—and fast. (On that note: Chill your martini glass beforehand!)

Now that you know how to make a lemon drop, graduate to another favorite cocktail, like the margarita or cosmopolitan. Put the rest of your lemon peels to use with homemade limoncello. Or, try your hand at some true martinis, like a dirty vodka martini, Vesper, 50-50, or a party-ready big batch martini.