Lemon Drop Shot
Citrus vodka, fresh lemon, and a sugar rim — Norman Hobday's early 1970s creation condensed into a shot, the sugared rim maintaining the lemon drop candy connection.
- 1 ozcitrus vodka(or regular vodka)
- ½ ozfresh lemon juice(freshly squeezed)
- ½ ozsimple syrup(1:1)
- sugar rimgarnish
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The Lemon Drop Shot is the concentrated, shot-glass version of the Lemon Drop cocktail created by Norman Jay Hobday at Henry Africa's bar in San Francisco in the early 1970s. The original Lemon Drop was designed to taste like a lemon drop candy — the sugar-coated citrus hard candy — and the shot version reduces the full martini-format cocktail to its essential elements: chilled citrus vodka, fresh lemon juice, and a sugar rim that replicates the candy's coating. The shot gained enormous popularity during the 1990s alongside the Lemon Drop Martini, when the citrus vodka category expanded rapidly and bartenders sought quick-service versions of their most popular cocktails. Its sugar rim and cold, sweet-tart citrus profile made it one of the most consistently approachable shots in the American bar repertoire.
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