With all the wonderful winter citrus available, this is the perfect time of year to be thinking about citrus cocktails! And, since I’ve been in a Meyer lemon mood lately, it seemed natural to develop a cocktail for the mild and floral lemons. Five minutes, a couple of Meyer lemons, and few supplies from the liquor store, are all you need to make this sweet and sour, fruity and perfumed Meyer lemon drop martini!
Once I was done making Meyer lemon souffles, I still had a pile of lemons around and I needed to figure out what to do with them. I couldn’t just let them go to waste! So, I tested seafood dishes and some muffins and thought about desserts.
There are a lot of recipe testing dinners around here. And breakfasts. And snacks.
Which, oddly enough, is almost exactly how it was before I started this food blogging journey. I’ve been going through old cooking notes and I’ve never been one to make the same thing from one week to the next. I don’t expect anyone to make all the dishes I share here week after week, but something new all the time is exactly how I like to cook! The best thing this blog has done is to make me focus on each recipe so I can improve it and adjust it until I have it just right. Instead of trying something, chatting with my husband about making it better, and then forgetting what we said, I write it down and do it better the next time.
My husband’s favorite recipes to test and perfect are…cocktails. I know, shocking. So, of course, he suggested I make a Meyer lemon drop cocktail.
Basically, if you ask him what I should make, he thinks cocktails. (Or to add bacon. Those are his two main suggestions. It’s a good thing I’m around or it would be all bacon and cocktails around here without a vegetable in sight. Both are tasty, but balance is important! š )
While I do love vegetables and other healthier foods, I couldn’t argue since I did need to develop a January cocktail. And I have to admit that I prefer Meyer lemons in sweeter applications, where its milder tang and floral notes are a natural pairing.
With this lemon drop martini, I started with Meyer lemon juice, vodka, and limoncello. It seemed like a reasonable pairing – we drank them and they were fine.
Then I added some cranberry sauce, which I had in the fridge from the latest batch of Cranberry Margaritas. And that was better!
Next, I ditched the limoncello, since I decided it was overpowering the Meyer lemon juice (which, remember, is mild), and I knew I was onto something, but cranberry wasn’t where I wanted to be.
A glance into the liquor cabinet had me pulling out a bottle of Chambord. (A Christmas present from mom and dad. Thanks mom! And dad! *waves*) Once I switched out the cranberry for raspberry, I had it! A quick, balanced, yummy cocktail which highlighted the Meyer lemon juice! Fresh raspberries are optional, but a little twist of peel is the crowning touch which brings in the floral notes from the lemon zest.
Meyer Lemon Ideas
For more information and ideas about Meyer lemons, check out these great posts!
- What are Meyer Lemons?
- Meyer Lemon French 75
- Meyer Lemon Raspberry Bars
- Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Muffins
Cocktail Accessories You May Like
- Martini Glasses – These glasses are from my set of Mikasa martini glasses. They are both fun and refined!
- Channel Knife – While you can use a peeler and paring knife as I did here, a channel knife can make twists easier and quicker.
- Martini Picks – I love using simple metal martini picks. They are reusable, easy to clean, and appropriate for all occasions.
If you try my recipe for Blushing Meyer Lemon Drop Martinis, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Drinking, Annemarie
This blushing meyer lemon drop is a martini with a twist! Vodka is mixed with floral Meyer lemon juice and spiked with a bit of raspberry liqueur to make a great sweet and sour cocktail.
- 3 oz vodka
- 2 oz Meyer lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- 1 oz raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord
- 1/2 oz agave syrup, or sugar syrup
- 2 lemon twists
Using a vegetable peeler, peel a strip of lemon zest from around the middle of one of the lemons. Slice two long, thin strips from the peel. Twirl each strip into a twist and set aside.
Measure the vodka, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, and syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Pour the cocktail into two martini glasses. Add a lemon twist to each glass and serve.
- I have tried this recipe with standard lemons and you cannot simply substitute standard lemons for the Meyer lemons since standard lemons are much more acidic.
- To make a sugar syrup, bring equal amounts of granulated sugar and water to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes to completely dissolve the sugar. Cool and store in the refrigerator in a covered container.
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