A good shot can turn a low-energy party into a fun time. But no one likes to consume hard-to-swallow spirits, and finding the time to create intricate cocktails can be a pain. That’s why lemon drop shots are a great idea.

You can instantly whip up some lemon drop shots with simple ingredients. And the results can be spectacular. They’re even easy to dress up and make it look like you put a lot of effort into their appearance.

This article covers all you need to know about making lemon drop shots. We’ll first go over what a lemon drop is, then get into the specifics about ingredients, how to make them, and tips to impress. We’ll wrap things up with the nutrition information of a lemon drop.

What Is a Lemon Drop Shot?

As you might be able to guess from the name, lemon drop shots are a shot of alcohol that has a strong lemon flavor. They’re great because the lemon taste does well at overpowering the alcohol taste, and you can customize them to your liking.

Most of the time, lemon drops are pretty sweet drink. However, many people use simple syrup as a sweetener since it blends easily. You can also dial up the appearance with another trick that adds a kick of sugar by lining the rim.

Vodka is the spirit of choice for most lemon drop recipes. Its neutral flavor goes well with the citrus and takes a beach seat to the sweet, delicious taste.

Lemon Drop Recipe Ingredients

The base of a good lemon drop recipe has three ingredients. These include the spirit, the lemon flavor, and the sweet factor.

For the spirit, vodka is the most popular choice for lemon drop shots. Since it has little flavor, it does a great job of allowing the fruity lemon flavor forward. But if you want, you could create a unique twist by using other fairly-neutral spirits, such as white rum or a young tequila.

When figuring out what to use for the lemon flavor, your best bet is the real deal, freshly squeezed lemon juice. It will give the shots the best taste. If you want to use a prepared concentrate, that will work. But most purists reach for the actual fruit.

Finally, the last ingredient in any lemon drop recipe is something to make it sweet. People mostly use a simple syrup made by dissolving one part sugar into one part water. Prepare this in advance because you usually heat it to dissolve the sugar.

You can use other sweeteners if you prefer. But once again, the purists will recommend sugar and simple syrup over just about anything else for a lemon drop.

Also, some people will add some triple sec to give it a boost in flavor. While not necessary, it can make a more sophisticated version of a lemon drop if you’re feeling like it.

4 Steps to Make a Lemon Drop Shot Recipe

Lemon drop shots are a shot of alcohol that has a strong lemon flavor. They’re great because the lemon taste does well at overpowering the alcohol taste, and you can customize them to your liking. Most of the time, lemon drops are a pretty sweet drink. However, many people use simple syrup as a sweetener since it blends easily. You can also dial up the appearance with another trick that adds a kick of sugar bylining the rim.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 4 shots

Calories 65 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• ½ ounce triple sec (optional)
• Sugar and lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Instructions

 

Garnish the Rim

• You can skip this step if you don’t want to put in the effort, but when an extra flare is warranted, start by garnishing the rim of the shot glasses with some sugar and lemon zest.
• Do this by zesting some fresh lemon and adding it to some sugar on a small plate. 
• Take a slice of lemon and brush it around the lip of the shot glass, then rub that rim in the zest and sugar combination. Repeat on as many shot glasses as you need. You don’t need to cover the entire rim.

Add Ingredients to Shaker

• Once you have the shot glasses ready, it’s time to add the ingredients to the shaker.
• Start by squeezing fresh lemons into a separate container. You’ll want about an ounce or so for each shot. You can adjust this to your taste. Some people might find that much lemon juice overpowering.
• After that, measure out the desired vodka amount, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add all three parts to the shaker, then fill it with ice.

Shake and Mix Well

• This step is critical for a good lemon drop shot. Shake it fast and vigorously for at least 15 seconds.
• This shaking opens up the fruity flavor profile, chills down the drink, and blends everything perfectly. It is worth it to use a shaker. And put some elbow grease into it.

Pour Into Shot Glasses

• Last, pour the lemon drops into the shot glasses. Strain out the ice as you pour into your garnished shot glasses.
• And pass them out to your favorite people! I guess some of the others can have one too.

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Lemon Shots

To make things easy on yourself, prepare the ingredients well ahead of time. The simple syrup is perhaps the most important to do beforehand, so it has time to cool down. Adding warm, simple syrup to the shaker can melt the ice and create a watery shot.

Also, it can make things a lot easier to make a whole batch of shots at once rather than each shot. Just don’t overload the shaker because you want these to be nice and cold.

Along the same lines, wait to prepare these until everyone is ready to imbibe. You want the cold, refreshing aspect to hit everyone’s pallet first. Not a lukewarm mess.

Lemon Drop Shots Nutrition Information

Lemon drops are a simple combination of alcohol, lemon juice, and sugar. They are essentially all carbohydrates. Most lemon shots don’t have any fat and very little if any protein.

Each ounce of vodka has around 65 calories, while an ounce of lemon juice has about six calories and one gram of sugar. The simple syrup adds about 20 grams of sugar and 75 calories per ounce.

So if you follow the lemon drop recipe above, one drink has around 156 calories and about 21 grams of sugar.