Lemon Drop Shot

The Lemon Drop Shot is like a burst of sunshine in a tiny glass, with a zesty, lemony flavor that’s perfectly balanced between sweet and sour. The smooth vodka glides down your throat, leaving you feeling both energized and refreshed.

What’s in a Lemon Drop Shot

A Lemon Drop Shot typically consists of three simple ingredients: vodka, Simple Syrup, and fresh lemon juice. The vodka serves as the base spirit and provides the shot with its kick. The simple syrup, which is made by dissolving sugar in water, adds a touch of sweetness to the drink and helps to balance out the tartness of the lemon juice. Finally, the fresh lemon juice gives the shot its signature zesty, lemony flavor.

Some bartenders also like to rim the glass with sugar or garnish the shot with a slice of lemon for an extra touch of sweetness and visual appeal. The tartness combined with the sweetness makes this shot a classic just like the Water Moccasin Shot.

If you love the lemon drop shot you’ll be happy to know it comes in drink form too as the Lemon Drop Martini.

Ingredient Notes

• Vodka – When making a Lemon Drop Shot, it’s best to use a high-quality, unflavored vodka. A neutral or smooth-tasting vodka allows the zesty, lemony flavors to shine through without any interference from other flavorings.
• Simple Syrup – Simple Syrup adds sweetness to the drink without altering the flavor profile of the vodka or fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice can be quite tart, and the simple syrup helps to balance out the acidity.
• Lemon Juice – Using fresh lemon juice is crucial when making a Lemon Drop Shot because it provides a bright, zesty flavor that is difficult to replicate with bottled or pre-made lemon juice.
• Sugar for rimming the glass (optional)
• Lemon wedge for garnish (optional)

How to Make a Lemon Drop Shot

1. Coat the rim of the shot glass. Run a lemon wedge around the edge of the shot glass to coat it evenly in juice.
2. Dip the rim in coarse sugar. Pour some sugar into a shallow dish or plate and dredge the rim of the coated shot glass into the sugar.

3. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker.
4. Shake. Shake vigorously for about 10-15 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients.

5. Strain. Strain the mixture into the sugar-rimmed shot glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge, if desired.

Large Batch Recipe

To make a large batch of Lemon Drop Shots, you will need to adjust the proportions of the ingredients accordingly. Here’s a recipe for making a pitcher of Lemon Drop Shots that serves approximately eight people:

• 2 cups vodka
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup simple syrup
• Ice
• Sugar for rimming the glasses (optional)
• Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

1. Rim the edges of shot glasses with sugar, if desired, by dipping the rims in a shallow dish of simple syrup or water, then dipping them into a plate of sugar. Set aside.
2. In a large pitcher, combine the vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. Stir well to combine.
3. Add ice to the pitcher and stir again.
4. Fill the prepared shot glasses with the lemon drop mixture.

FAQS

Substitutions

• No lemons, no problem! If you don’t have any lemons on hand you can always use store-bought lemon juice or even Sour Mix.
• Change up the alcohol. Vodka is the traditional and most common base spirit used in a Lemon Drop Shot recipe. You could try using other clear spirits such as gin or tequila instead.
• Use something other than simple syrup. If you don’t have simple syrup or prefer not to use it in a Lemon Drop Shot, you can replace it with sugar, honey, or agave nectar. It is super easy to make your own homemade Simple Syrup though.

Similar Shot Recipes

White Tea Shot

Water Moccasin Shot

Green Tea Shot

Lemon Drop Shot Recipe

The Lemon Drop Shot is like a burst of sunshine in a tiny glass, with a zesty, lemony flavor that's perfectly balanced between sweet and sour. The smooth vodka glides down your throat, leaving you feeling both energized and refreshed.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 shots

Calories: 123kcal

Author: Aimee Mars

Equipment

• ▢
  Cocktail Shaker

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ounces Vodka chilled
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Simple Syrup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Instructions

• Coat the rim of the shot glass. Run a lemon wedge around the edge of the shot glass to coat it evenly in juice.
• Dip the rim in coarse sugar. Pour some sugar into a shallow dish or plate and dredge the rim of the coated shot glass into the sugar.
• Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker.
• Shake. Shake vigorously for about 10-15 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients.
• Strain. Strain the mixture into the sugar-rimmed shot glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge, if desired.

Notes

Large Batch Recipe

• 2 cups vodka
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup simple syrup
• Ice
• Sugar for rimming the glasses (optional)
• Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

1. Rim the edges of shot glasses with sugar, if desired, by dipping the rims in a shallow dish of simple syrup or water, then dipping them into a plate of sugar. Set aside.
2. In a large pitcher, combine the vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. Stir well to combine.
3. Add ice to the pitcher and stir again.
4. Fill the prepared shot glasses with the lemon drop mixture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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