Ingredients
- .75 oz Vodka
- .25 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Sugar
Instructions
Prepare the Glass:
- Wet the rim of your shot glass with a slice of lemon and dip it into sugar to coat the rim. Alternatively, you can add sugar to a slice of lemon.
Mix the Shot:
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in 0.75 oz of vodka, 0.25 oz of lemon juice, and 1 tsp of sugar.
Shake Well:
- Shake until the mixture is well-chilled and the sugar is dissolved.
Serve:
- Strain the mixture into the prepared shot glass.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your refreshing Lemon Drop Shot.
Video
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
Henry Africa's in San Francisco is the most-cited birthplace, sometime in the 1970s. The bartender there, Norman Jay Hobday, built the original Lemon Drop cocktail to feed the era's growing taste for sweet vodka drinks.
The shot version followed in the 1980s as bars commercialised cocktail-as-shot formats. By 2000 the Lemon Drop Shot was on every American bar menu and several waves of bachelorette parties have kept it in business.
What it tastes like
Sweet, sour, and clean. The sugar rim balances the lemon and gives the drink a candy-like first impression. The vodka is invisible, which is why it works as a shot.
It's essentially a Daiquiri made with vodka and lemon. The base shape is solid; the personality changes with the rim sugar choice (white sugar, brown sugar, even spiced sugar).
The technique
Sugar-rim a chilled shot glass: rub a lemon wedge around the rim and dip into white caster sugar. Shake 30ml vodka, 15ml fresh lemon juice, and 10ml simple syrup with ice for 8 seconds. Double-strain into the rimmed glass.
Use a real lemon, real sugar, and a chilled glass. Shortcuts here turn the drink into a sad chemical experiment.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The vodka
- Use
- Plain neutral vodka (Smirnoff, Absolut, Tito's)
- Try
- Citron vodka for a more lemon-forward shot
- Why
- Neutral vodka is the canonical version. Citron amplifies the lemon.
The lemon
- Use
- Fresh lemon juice
- Skip
- Bottled lemon juice or lemon cordial
- Why
- Three ingredients again means quality matters.
The sugar rim
- Use
- White caster sugar (or vanilla sugar, or spiced sugar)
- Skip
- Salt rim (different drink)
- Why
- Sugar balances the lemon. Salt clashes.
Variations
Other shots when sweet and sour is the goal.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Citron vodka for more lemon. Limoncello cuts the vodka in half and adds Italian lemon character.
Bottled juice is flat. Wait, buy a lemon, do it right.
Caster sugar in the shaker. Or a bar spoon of agave.
Skip the rim and drop syrup to 5ml.
Limoncello version: 20ml vodka, 15ml limoncello, 10ml lemon juice, 5ml syrup. Sweeter and more aromatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Lemon Drop Shot?
Vodka, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, in a sugar-rimmed shot glass. Standard spec: 30ml vodka, 15ml lemon, 10ml simple syrup.
How do you make a Lemon Drop Shot?
Sugar-rim a chilled shot glass. Shake 30ml vodka, 15ml fresh lemon juice, and 10ml simple syrup with ice for 8 seconds. Double-strain into the rimmed glass.
Where did the Lemon Drop come from?
Henry Africa's in San Francisco, 1970s. Bartender Norman Jay Hobday created the cocktail version. The shot version followed in the 1980s.
Lemon Drop Shot vs Lemon Drop Cocktail?
Same recipe, different size. The cocktail is roughly double the volume served in a coupe. The shot is in a small shot glass.
What vodka should I use?
Plain neutral vodka. Citron vodka amplifies the lemon flavour.
Can I make Lemon Drop Shots without simple syrup?
Yes. Use caster sugar in the shaker (it dissolves with the lemon and ice) or honey syrup.
Why is the rim important?
Sugar on the rim hits your tongue first and balances the lemon's sharpness. It's the candy element of the shot.
How strong is a Lemon Drop Shot?
Around 22 to 25 percent ABV in the glass. The sweetness hides the alcohol. Drink water alongside.
Lemon Drop vs Kamikaze?
Kamikaze adds triple sec, no sugar rim. Lemon Drop has a sugar rim, no triple sec. Same family, slightly different balance.
Can I make these ahead?
Premix vodka, lemon, and syrup in a bottle. Refrigerate. Rim glasses to order. Shake with ice and strain at serving time.
More Like This
More vodka shots and shooters from the 1980s and 1990s.
