Sours · Vodka · IBA official
A crunchy sugar rim, then a rush of cold, sharp lemon rounded out by orange liqueur. The Lemon Drop tastes exactly like its namesake sweet, and that playful sweet and sour snap is why it has stayed on menus for half a century.
¾ oz
lemon vodka or plain vodkae.g. Absolut · Ketel One · Smirnoff · Grey Goose
¾ oz
triple sece.g. Cointreau · Bols · Marie Brizard · DeKuyper · Giffard
½ oz
lemon juice
pinch of
sugar for the rim
Garnish: Sugar rim and lemon twist · Ice: Served up, no ice
Lemon Drop
Bright, sweet and tart with pure lemon flavor and a hint of orange. The sugar rim adds crunch and balances the acidity.
The Lemon Drop is generally credited to Norman Jay Hobday, who opened Henry Africa's in San Francisco in the late 1960s. The bar is often called the first "fern bar", a style of saloon decorated with potted plants and Tiffany-style lamps that aimed to be more welcoming than the traditional dark tavern. Hobday is said to have introduced the Lemon Drop there during the 1970s.
The drink rode the vodka boom and the wave of sweet, colorful "martinis" through the 1980s and 1990s. The IBA later added it to its New Era list under the name Lemon Drop Martini, in a spec of lemon vodka, triple sec and fresh lemon juice served in a sugar rimmed glass.
Yes. The IBA lists it as Lemon Drop Martini in its New Era category.
It is usually credited to Norman Jay Hobday at Henry Africa's in San Francisco in the 1970s.
Replace it with 15 ml simple syrup; you lose the orange note but keep the balance.
The perfect sound
A breezy San Francisco evening in a sunny fern bar.
Reader rating
Thanks for rating
Updated:
