Oprah Winfrey, with guest chef Rachael Ray, made the drink on her show and proclaimed it her favorite cocktail. However, the citrus sipper was the recipient of the ultimate product endorsement, known as the “O” factor, in 2006. Sadly, it seems the Lemon Drop did not have the same literary sex appeal as other drinks. Since mentions of classic cocktails abound in novels, from the Bronx cocktail in The Great Gatsby to the Brandy Alexander in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the Gimlet in Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel The Long Goodbye, could there be clues elsewhere to the Lemon Drop’s creator? Books where the cocktail is mentioned, always in the context of a female character ordering one or sipping on one, include: This Fire Down in My Soul, Death, Taxes and Peach Sangria, Must Love Dogs: Fetch You Later, and Her One-Night Prince. So, in a sense, the Lemon Drop could be the spark that started the whole cocktail revival!” “Cheryl Cook, the lady who invented the Cosmopolitan’s original recipe of Rose’s lime juice and triple sec, claimed it was an Absolut Citron variation on the Lemon Drop. However, he offered an astute observation. Ladies flocked to the bar, and the men followed.ĭale DeGroff, the legendary bartender aka “King Cocktail” who pioneered modern mixology since the 80s, confirmed that the Lemon Drop was born at Henry Africa’s but had no idea who created it. As a result, frilly libations such as the Harvey Wallbanger, the Mudslide, and the Grasshopper were a smash hit. The motivation behind the invention was to attract more female customers with dessert drinks. This was during the sexual revolution when, for the first time, single women were going to bars by themselves. So, who was responsible for the zesty concoction?Īccording to legend, the Lemon Drop was invented in the 1970s at San Francisco’s Henry Africa, the country’s first ‘fern bar’ (a classy singles joint decorated with plants, thus the nickname). When made properly, the drink’s crunchy dose of sweetness on the rim in contrast to the tangy liquid in the glass is the perfect sweet-to-sour ratio. An adult version of the 19th-century lemon drop candy, the Lemon Drop Martini consists of vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, and simple syrup that’s shaken, strained, and poured into a sugar-rimmed Martini glass.Īccording to Gary Reagan’s 2003 book, The Joy of Mixology, it’s part of the New Orleans Sour family which are variations of a base spirit, citrus juice, and an orange-flavored liqueur.

Lemon drop martini recipe