While writing this post, I looked for interesting takes on lemons and came across a beautiful quote from author Aspen Matis. Check out her homepage linked under her name. It apparently appears in her book (which I haven’t read) Your Blue Is Not My Blue: A Missing Person Memoir. I’m not familiar with the book, so I can’t discern if this is a morbid start to a bright cocktail. But I can say that I feel pretty morbid when given the usual Lemon Drop cocktail.

You can surmise from the title for this post that I am not the biggest fan of the Lemon Drop. The drink’s character is sort of like the environs it inhabits — the rhythmic pulsating of a night club, where seemingly good things are all bad and based on assumptions we all know, deep down, are false. So what’s not to like?

Lemon Drops promise lemon and deliver acid and sugar. That acid comes in amounts that give you that acid burn in the back of the tongue that any Lemon Drop drinker will recognize. You might think this would render the drink so puckering that it would be overpowered by sourness. But you’d be wrong, because these types also contain instant cavity-inducing amounts of sugar. Between the acid burn and the cloyingly sweet finish, the drink’s main character becomes something between metal and chemicals.

The drink also somehow manages to have a very thin mouthfeel, lacking roundness or softness. It’s typically made with orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec, which gives a bright, intense orange flavor… in a Lemon Drop. It also dries the drink a bit, contributing to that mouthfeel. The drink does contain lemon in the form of fresh juice. The issue is that the major flavor compounds in lemons are in the zest, not the juice, whose main contribution is citric acid. Could a Lemon Drop be made well? I have no doubt — it’s a matter of fresh ingredients (no sour mixes) and balancing the acid and sweetness better. The typical lemon drop is effectively a Vodka Daisy. Could we make a better lemon-centered drink than a good, well-made Lemon Drop? Absolutely. 

When I was building this, the target was Lemon Curd. (Also, if you’re in Morgantown, the lemon curd at The Teashoppe is amazing.) I wanted deep, rich lemon flavor, but with a more rounded acid profile and a touch of vanilla. I also wanted the drink to stick to the tongue a bit better and have a palpable texture. Thus, we have The Golden Bulb. Thanks, Aspen, if you ever find this, for the inspiration. 

Madagascar Vanilla Vodka (Homemade). We covered how to make great Madagascar Vanilla Vodka in the post Season of the Birds and the Bees. So, head over there for some ingredients and instructions. It’s not hard, and it doesn’t come with the almost medicinal, chemical taste of a lot of store-bought vanilla vodka. With that version, you get the rich, pure expression of vanilla. If you are in a pinch, I actually think adding 2–5 drops of good vanilla extract to 2 oz of regular vodka would be better than most vanilla vodka, and it will work in a pinch if you’re eager to get to the imbibing.

Limoncello (Homemade). Limoncello is also better crafted than procured. Store-bought versions tend to be absolutely sickeningly sweet. They are so cloying that a sip or two is all one can manage. This homemade Limoncello is more balanced and tastes clean - without the chemical sort of background in a lot of store-bought versions. Again, you’ll find this in Andrew Schloss’ Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits. As always, I highly recommend it. The addition of Vermouth adds more dryness and acid and allows this limoncello to drink dryer and brighter than the store bought versions, which are mostly meant to be a lemony replacement for simple syrup. This version gives you all the crisp white wine notes and the aromatics from the Vermouth.

Combine the vodka and vermouth in a sizeable jar (preferably glass - I love the half-gallon, wide-mouth Ball Mason jars for these projects). Into this mixture, add the finely grated zest of the lemons. By far, the best way to do this is with a micro plane. Allow this mixture to tincture for about 7 days, shaking every so often. Once it is strongly aromatic and deeply lemon-yellow, fine strain or filter the liquid into a container. I use a dedicated Chemex for this. Once filtered, add the simple syrup and stir to incorporate it. Walla! Limoncello!

Milk-Clarified, Acid-Adjusted Orange Juice. I mentioned when discussing the Income Tax Cocktail, that orange juice doesn’t carry enough acid to satisfy most modern bartenders. So, here we are going to adjust the juice two ways, one for acid and one for mouthfeel, to get a little more texture. Normally, when we use milk clarification, we’ll clarify the whole cocktail. This time, we are clarifying only the orange juice. I think it adds the right amount of texture without taking it too far in that direction. I used Cara Cara oranges here because I like them and can get them. Any orange will do. The acid addition above will give the orange juice the the same acidity as lemon.

Add the acid to the orange juice and place the orange juice in one container and the milk of your choice in the other. Add the juice to the milk, not the other way around, and allow it to sit for about 30–40 minutes. Then, place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Afterward, filter the juice—I use a dedicated Chemex for this. It may take a while to filter. Afterward, add the sugar to the mix and allow it to sit until the sugar is completely dissolved. This is best done in the refrigerator with an intermittent shake or two to speed things along. The clarification rounds the edges of the acid in the juice, and the acid additions will sharpen this just a bit.

Finally, on to The Golden Bulb. Because we have clarified the orange juice, this is a stirred cocktail. Chill your glass thoroughly and add your ingredients to a mixing glass. Give this a quick stir to chill it well and fine-strain it into your glass, which should already have a sugared rim. If you’d like to know how to get that sugar on the rim, see the recipes for Scottish Sandie or the Sidecar. Feel free to express the oils from a lemon peel over the top.

This all sounds complicated, I know. But realistically, it is mostly putting things in a jar and waiting for nature, chemistry, and physics to do the hard work for you. And if you wanted, you could easily batch this over the course of a week and have it around for your weekend and friends straight from the freezer. I’ve served it up here, but it drinks great over ice as well. Ask in the comments if you’d like a recipe for that.

Given the lengths we’ve gone here, I won’t say a ton about changing the actual drink. For the Limoncello, Lillet Blanc would also be an interesting choice in place of the dry vermouth. You might also play around with the acids in this, depending on the tartness profile that suits you. This is a really good cocktail as-is, though. It will remind you of lemon curd, without its thick richness. It really highlights the alliance of vanilla and lemon; the lemon in particular is much more prominent in flavor in this drink than in an actual lemon drop. Finally, slipping just a touch, say ¼ teaspoon, of Creme de Violette in the drink works really well. 

Let me know what you think of Lemon Drops in the comments. And if you’ve had a great one, tell us where!

This blog is, as ever, an opinionated take on drinks.

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