It's been a long week! You've worked hard! You deserve a Meyer Lemon Drop Martini!!
If you’ve never met a Meyer lemon before, let me introduce you. Meyer lemons are a cross between regular lemons and mandarin oranges that were imported from China in 1908. See Wiki for more info. Meyer lemons are shorter and rounder than grocery store lemons and have thinner and usually more golden skin and flesh. The best thing about them is their gentler bite. They are less acidic than regular lemons, making them perfect for desserts and cocktails. Some people will even eat them plain.
Looking a little ragged by the end.
This year I went crazy buying plants and trees for my garden but the combination of a hot, dry summer and a husband working lots of overtime meant that my abundance of plants didn’t get the TLC they deserved. Luckily my Meyer lemon tree had quite a few green lemons on it when I bought it so all I had to do was keep it watered to make sure I got to enjoy its fruits. And enjoy them I did. In 6 batches of martinis to be exact 🙂
When my friend Catherine and I were whipping up the last batch of cocktails from the Meyer Lemon Drop Martini Tree (as we have dubbed it), I decided I should snap a few photos and share this delicious recipes with y’all. If you can’t find Meyer lemons at your local grocery, don’t panic, you can still enjoy this recipe by substituting regular lemons without any other modifications. As an added bonus, this recipe utilizes the simple syrup recipe I posted earlier.
I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend and enjoy a lemon drop for me while I am on call.
Meyer Lemon Drop Martini
Yield: 2 martinis, or 1 if you’ve had a bad day
1.5 ounces simple syrup
zest of 1 Meyer lemon
juice of 2 Meyer lemons, reserving one lemon to rub on rim of glasses
3 ounces vodka
Granulated or superfine sugar
In a small microwave safe container, heat simple syrup and zest in 20 second intervals until syrup is hot but not boiling. Cool completely, then chill. This process will help release the oil from the zest and give your simple syrup more citrusy flavor. (Alternately, if you are making a fresh batch of simple syrup, you could include the zest when combining the water and sugar before heating.) Make sure all ingredients and martini glasses are well-chilled before proceeding.
Fill martini shaker with crushed ice. Pour in simple syrup, lemon juice, and vodka. Shake well. Rub outer rim of martini glass(es) with lemon to moisten. Dip into sugar to coat. Strain martini into glasses. Serve immediately, relax, and enjoy!
Recipe inspired by food.com
Susie Homemaker, MD 
How long will the lemon drop martinis keep? I’d like to make a batch to keep in frig to have on hand.
Thanks,
Jo
Hi, Jo! I would expect them to keep for a week at least. Enjoy!