Lemon drop (cocktail)
A vodka-based cocktail with a lemony, sweet and sour flavor.
The lemon drop is a cocktail built on vodka, with a bright, sweet-and-sour lemon flavor. It combines vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice. While sometimes called a variation of the vodka martini, it is actually more similar to a daisy or a white lady. The drink is typically served straight up: shaken or stirred with ice, then strained into a stemmed glass.
Norman Jay Hobday, who owned and ran Henry Africa's bar in San Francisco, California, created the lemon drop sometime in the 1970s. The name likely came from lemon drop candy. The drink quickly spread to other bars in San Francisco. By the early 1990s, it was often made as a shooter, served in a shot glass—a version that used only one ingredient plus a garnish.
Variations include blueberry and raspberry lemon drops, which may use berry-flavored vodkas or other liquors. A blueberry version can be made with muddled blueberries, while a raspberry one uses puréed or crushed raspberries. Another popular twist uses limoncello as the base spirit. The glass may have a sugared rim, sometimes with colored sugar. The "lemon drop shot" is a common variant: two parts vodka, one part lemon juice, and half an ounce of simple syrup, served in a shot glass with a sugared rim and a lemon slice.
In 2006, Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray made the drink on *The Oprah Winfrey Show*, boosting its popularity. Madonna mentioned occasionally drinking Lemon Drops in her 2019 song "Back That Up to the Beat." In a September 2024 BBC Two interview, former UK Prime Minister Sir John Major said he was partial to an occasional Lemon Drop. K-Pop group Ateez released a song called "Lemon drop" on June 13, 2025, inspired by the cocktail.
Quick Facts
- Base
- Vodka
- Ingredients
- 30 ml vodka citron / 20 ml triple sec / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Served
- Straight up: chilled, without ice
- Garnish
- sugar around rim
- Prep
- Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with sugar rim around the glass.
- Drinkware
- Cocktail glass
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The lemon drop was invented sometime in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday, the founder and proprietor of Henry Africa's, a fern bar in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California that opened in 1969. It was originally served in a cocktail glass. The drink was most likely named after lemon drop candy. After its invention, the drink swiftly spread to many San Francisco saloons. In the early 1990s, it was often prepared as a shooter or served in a shot glass; the shooter's recipe differed from the cocktail as it contained only one ingredient and a garnish.
Reader's Guide
The lemon drop is a vodka-based cocktail that has a lemony, sweet and sour flavor, prepared using vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice. It has been described as a variant of, or as 'a take on', the vodka martini, but is in fact closer to a daisy or a white lady variant. It is typically prepared and served straight up – chilled with ice and strained. Variations of the drink exist, such as blueberry and raspberry lemon drops, and some recipes call for simple syrup. It is served at some bars and restaurants in the United States, and in such establishments in other areas of the world. The drink's popularity increased after its preparation was presented on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006. Singer Madonna referenced sometimes drinking Lemon Drops in the 2019 song, 'Back That Up to the Beat'. On September 18, 2024, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir John Major, revealed that he was partial to the occasional Lemon Drop cocktail. On June 13, 2025, K-Pop group Ateez released a song entitled 'Lemon drop', inspired by the cocktail.
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