This easy Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini is sweet, sour and oh so good – a homemade sweet and sour mix is the key! Refreshing enough for summer and smooth enough to drink in the fall.
There is nothing I like more than a challenge .
My cousin had recently returned from Nashville and our conversation went something like this….
“Ummm… Nance, I just got back from Nashville and had the most incredible cocktail – it had bourbon and lemon in it and it was so refreshing – do you think you could re create it for me?”
Uh huh. So after asking a few more pertinent questions ( how it was served, how sweet was it, any other flavors she could detect?) I went to work.
Yes, it’s a tough job but somebody has got to do it! So after a bit of experimenting, I came up with this Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini!
The Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini
This Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini is really a sour – part of that class of cocktails that includes margaritas, Daquiri’s and Mojitos. It’s basically a mixture of a base liquor, a”sweet” and a “sour”. Ah, but that is where it gets interesting! In some cocktails straight lemon or lime juice works just fine.. in others, like the margarita, not so much.
When I was playing around with this Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini, I knew it needed something other than a straight lemon juice for the “sour” component – straight lemon juice resulted in a cocktail that was harsh and flat -not what I was looking for! So, I thought about a “sweet and sour mix” – but I knew, from countless awful Margaritas, that a store bought “sweet and sour mix” wasn’t going to cut it.
So I made one – and found the cocktail I was looking for.
Nicely balanced, sweet, and a little sour, it highlights all those lovely caramel and vanilla flavors of bourbon and is a great introduction to “bourbon cocktails” – even for those who don’t like bourbon… and yes, you know who you are!!!
Interested in some other bourbon cocktails? You might like to try….
Bourbon Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
- Martini:
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 2 oz. sour mix
- 1 1 /2 ounces good bourbon Elijah Craig or Woodford Reserve recommended
- 1 oz. Limoncello
- lemon slices optional
- fresh mint leaves optional
- Homemade Sour Mix
- ½ cup water
- ½ sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- For the Martini:
- Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe.
- Garnish with a wedge of fresh lemon and fresh mint if desired.
- For the Homemade Sour Mix:
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucpan. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool.
- Add the fresh lemon and lime juice and stir to combine.
- If not using immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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This sounds lovely! I’m a big fan of Lemon Drop Martinis but the touch of bourbon you’ve added here I think will give it a more bold flavor!
We need to drink this one when we get together next…I love anything lemon!
I surprised my wife with this when she got home from work. She loved it, and so did I.
This was nothing short of awesome! Thank you!
Hello Levon,
I am sooo glad you enjoyed the cocktail – it definitely is one of my favorites and I love that I can use the sweet and sour mix in other cocktails – cheers!!
Fabulous! Love the hint of mint! Always looking for good bourbon cocktails
Thank you so much for your kind words – so glad you enjoyed the cocktail!