Lemon Drop
Vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon with a sugared rim — Norman Hobday's early 1970s San Francisco creation, the 1990s martini revival making it an upscale staple.
- 2 ozvodka
- ¾ ozfresh lemon juice(freshly squeezed)
- ¾ ozsimple syrup 1:1
- ½ oztriple sec
- sugar rim and lemon twistgarnish
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The Lemon Drop originated in San Francisco in the early 1970s when bartender Norman Jay Hobday created it at Henry Africa's bar as a candy-mimicking cocktail designed to be approachable and festive. It languished in relative obscurity for nearly two decades before the 1990s martini renaissance — which elevated any drink served in a V-shaped martini glass to a new level of cultural cachet — brought it roaring back into fashion. Bars began serving the Lemon Drop in frosted martini glasses with elegantly sugared rims, and premium citrus-flavored vodkas from brands like Absolut Citron and Stolichnaya Citros amplified the lemon character. The Lemon Drop became one of the defining cocktails of the 1990s upscale casual bar scene, introducing generations of new drinkers to vodka cocktails through an accessible, sweet-sour gateway experience.
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