Lemon Drop Shot

Shots aren’t just for nights out, ya know. They’re great to serve as an after-dinner warmer or pre-dinner palate cleanser.

And these lemon drop shots are light, sweet, and so refreshing. One sip, and you’ll be eager for another.

The BEST Lemon Drop Shot Recipe

Lemon drop shots need just four ingredients: ice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and vodka.

Best served chilled; you need to add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake until everything is well mixed and chilled.

How easy is that?

How To Make a Lemon Drop Shot

To make the best lemon drop shot, you’ll need one part each of simple syrup and fresh lemon juice to two parts vodka. Oh, and a nice sugared rim!

Ingredients

This recipe is for a single shot. See below for how to make lemon drops for a crowd.

• 1 ounce of Chilled Vodka
• 1/2 ounce/tablespoon of Simple Syrup 
• 1/2 ounce/tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice
• Ice
• Lemon Wedge
• White Sugar

Method

1. Run the lemon wedge around the top of the shot glass and rim with the extra white sugar.
2. Pour the vodka, simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. 
3. Shake for twenty seconds. 
4. Strain the mixture into the shot glass.

How to Rim a Glass With Sugar

With sour shots and drinks like this, I always add a sugar rim around the glass. That way, you don’t get such a hit of tartness.

Typically, we rim classic margarita glasses with lime juice and salt. But in this case, we’ll use lemon juice and sugar.

Here’s how:

1. Cut a lemon into wedges.
2. Gently bend the wedge to release the juices, then press it over the rim and run it around the top of the shot glass.
3. Next, dip the wet rim into a small bowl of sugar.
4. Serve immediately.

How to Make Lemon Drop Shots For a Crowd

If you’re planning a party, you don’t want to make a bunch of shots individually. So instead, use this recipe and make enough for everyone!

This recipe is enough for 8 shots:

• 1 cup of Chilled Vodka
• 2 tablespoons of Simple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice

Add everything to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake away!

Tips and Tricks

This recipe is pretty darn easy. But I have a few tips below to ensure the shots come out great every time!

• Always use fresh lemon juice - the bottled stuff has an odd synthetic taste.

• Use decent vodka - when it’s not mixed with a bunch of other things, you’ll really taste the difference between cheap vodka and something a little more expensive. I like Finlandia or Skyy as a mid-range option. 

• Add more simple syrup as needed - lemon. can be more or less tart depending on how ripe the fruit is. So I suggest making one shot and tasting it to see if you need more sugar,

• Give it a citrussy twist - I know this is already pretty zesty, but you’d be surprised at how far a squeeze of lime or orange juice will go.

• Make sure the vodka is ice cold - this drink won’t taste the same if it’s not chilled properly.