Well hello there, friends. As we head into Memorial Day weekend, I thought it would be the perfect time to share one of my favorite cocktail recipes with you. It’s my Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini and it is absolutely DELISH. Just the thing for a long weekend and the perfect fresh, lemony cocktail to take you into summer and warmer weather!
We have a lemon tree that PUMPS out lemons almost all year round, so I am always on the lookout for good lemon recipes. And while homemade lemonade is awesome, lemon-flavored martini’s are awesome-er.
This cocktail looks fancy, especially when served in a martini glass, but it’s actually very easy to make. And the best part is that you can make a batch of the simple syrup and lemon juice ahead of time and store them in the fridge so it’s ready when the mood strikes you.
How to Make a Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini
The first step in making this delightful cocktail is to make the rosemary simple syrup. This is the ingredient that elevates it from a regular old lemon drop to a more polished cocktail with some depth. It does take a little bit of time to steep, so don’t wait until the last minute to make it, but it is extremely easy and goes by surprisingly quickly if you just have it simmering in the background while you’re doing other things in the kitchen. In fact, it would be a good idea to cut up and juice a bunch of lemons while the syrup steeps. To make just one or two cocktails, you only need a few lemons, but if you plan on making several servings, it’s a good idea to have a bigger batch on hand.
To make the simple syrup, pour 1 cup of water in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Then, add 1 cup of white sugar to the water, bringing it to a boil and stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, add rosemary sprigs to the water and let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and let the rosemary steep in the syrup for at least 30 minutes (the longer it steeps, the stronger the rosemary flavor). I haven’t tried steeping it for longer–maybe because I’m too thirsty and impatient? –but 30 minutes does the trick to give it the flavor it needs.
Finally, remove the rosemary sprigs from the syrup, and/or strain it into a glass jar. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, it’s ready to use, or, you can store and chill it in the fridge for future use.
To make the cocktail, add a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker, add 2 ounces of vodka, 1 oz of lemon juice, and 1 oz of the rosemary simple syrup. If you don’t have a jigger, you can use a shot glass to measure. (You don’t have to be super precise here…feel free to play around with the amounts a bit to make it to your liking.)
Then, making sure the cocktail shaker top is on VERY securely (trust me, you don’t want to be cleaning up rosemary lemon drop off of all the kitchen surfaces), shake shake shake until all the ingredients are chilled and well blended. Remove the cocktail shaker top and pour into a martini glass (or whichever drinking vessel you prefer). If you want to get extra fancy, you can add a lemon wheel or sprig of rosemary–or both!–for garnish.
Boom. Get ready to sit back, relax and enjoy the sweet sweet taste of lemony-rosemary perfection in a glass. Sooooo good.
Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini
A delightfully fresh summer cocktail
- Jigger or shot glass
- Cocktail shaker
- lemon juicer
- strainer
- glass jar
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup rosemary leaves (4-6 sprigs)
Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz rosemary simple syrup
- 1 cup ice
- 1 sliced lemon round (for garnish)
- 1 rosemary sprig (for garnish)
Rosemary Simple Syrup Instructions:
Add 1 cup water to small saucepan on medium high heat.
Add 1 cup of sugar to water and bring to a boil, stirring until completely dissolved.
Add rosemary to saucepan and simmer for one minute.
Remove from heat and let syrup steep for 30 minutes.
Remove rosemary sprigs (or use a strainer to remove leaves) and pour into a glass jar to store. Let cool.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini Instructions:
Add a handful of ice to cocktail shaker.
Add 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce lemon juice and 1 ounce rosemary simple syrup to cocktail shaker.
Shake vigorously (making sure top is securely closed) until contents are chilled and well blended.
Pour into glass. Garnish with a lemon slice and/or rosemary sprig if desired.
Cant wait to try this!! I also have all the ingredients on hand.
Have you ever tried this with other herbs? I wonder if lavender or sage would be good in the simple syrup.
Yay, I hope you love it as much as I do! I haven’t tried other herbs with it yet, but let me know if you do…lavender sounds intriguing… 🙂