|
Baking Corner
| Regional Foods | Cooking Articles
|
Hints
& Tips
| Culinary Dictionary
|
Newspaper Columns
This is the absolute best lemon drop martini! It is a
perfect combination of sweet and sour. My husband and I
developed this recipe after making and sampling many
different recipes. I have been surprised to see how many
other web sites have copied it without giving my web
site any credit.
This is a very sweet and lemony drink
that came into vogue during the 1970s in California. It
is now a favorite drink of the West Coast.
The drink was developed at a now defunct bar called Henry Africa's in
San Francisco, a well-known singles bar known as a Fern
Bar (term for upscale or preppy establishment). At Henry
Africa's bar, they developed and pushed "girly drinks" -
drinks that are potent, yet sweet enough to cover the
taste of alcohol. Think of the lemon drop candies!
Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
Recipe Type:
Beverage,
Lemons,
Martini
Yields:
1 serving
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces vodka (use a good-quality vodka)
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar or to taste*
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed
lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon
* Superfine sugar is
instantly dissolving sugar that is typically used in drinks. If you want to
avoid the shaking, make a
Basic Simple Syrup Recipe
to use in place of the sugar.
Preparation:
Mix the vodka, orange liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with
ice; shake well (supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar
is well blended).
Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a
twisted peel of lemon.
To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface
of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the
superfine sugar.
Makes 1 serving.
2/18/06 - Lisa Schott-Rhodes of Southern Illinois sent me her version of
Lemon Drop Martini:
I enjoyed your recipe
but tweaked it a bit! After living in Florida with plenty of
lemons, I made a simple sugar - this way you don't have to keep
shaking to get the sugar to dissolve for the Martini. I left
out the Triple Sec or any orange flavored liquor. I used a great
tin of orange-flavored sugar. You can put it on the rim or sprinkle
on top of the Lemon Drop Martini. This way each individual can enjoy
the amount of sugar they would like.
10 ounces Vodka
Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
Ice cubes
Tangerine Rimmer Sugar
* I always use a good-quality vodka when I
make these for people that appreciate them. It is also advisable to keep
your vodka in the freezer.
Using a cocktail shaker, mix together
the vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice cubes. Shake vertically
and strain into martini glass.
If you would like, coat the rim of the
glasses with the Rimmer Sugar and sprinkle some into the martini glass.
You can always adjust the vodka, the rimmer sugar, and simple sugar to
taste. If you prefer it with more lemon juice go for it. I like mine a
bit more sour.
Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Simple
Syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes, without stirring.
Let cool to room temperature before using. This syrup mixture
will keep for several weeks.
| 
