Lemon Drop Shots

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/9/21
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 shot

Popular lemon drops shots are the perfect combination of tart and sweet. The cold vodka and tangy-sweet lemon wedges balance out each other's strong flavors and make for a fun shot to drink. One popular way to make lemon drop shots is similar to tequila shots; because it is more about the process and less about mixing the ingredients.

Delicious but potent, this shot is easy to make, and we provide variations for you to try so you can choose whichever you like the best.

Clear vodka is a popular choice, although you may also consider a lemon or citrus vodka.

Lemon drop shot with a lemon wedge
The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces chilled vodka

  • Lemon wedge

  • Granulated sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Pour the vodka into a shot glass.

    Vodka in a shot glass

    The Spruce

  3. Coat a lemon wedge with sugar.

    Lemon wedge coated in sugar on a cutting board

    The Spruce

  4. Drink the shot of vodka. Follow that immediately with a bite of the sugary lemon. Enjoy.

Tips

Chilled vodka will make the shot go down a bit easier. Place the bottle in the freezer for an hour or two or shake a shot with ice and strain it into the shot glass. Shaking will dilute it slightly, but it is not enough to make a difference when it's a shot of straight alcohol.

Recipe Variations

  • Lemon drop with sugar rim: Rim the edge of a shot glass with lemon juice and dip it into sugar. Shake off any loose sugar. Fill the glass with chilled vodka. Drink the shot and quickly bite into a slice of lemon. Prepare an entire party's worth of shot glasses in advance so that all you have to do is pour the vodka.
  • Lemon drop with sugar cube: Place a sugar cube into a shot glass. Shake 3/4-ounce each of vodka and lemon juice with ice and strain over the sugar cube. Drink the shot quickly. If you don't have sugar cubes, simply pour a small amount of granulated sugar into your glass instead.
  • Lemon drop with a sugary lemon wedge: Coat lemon wedges with sugar, and place one on each shot glass. Pour the chilled vodka, drink, and quickly bite into the sugary wedge.
  • Shaken lemon drop: Sometimes, you just have to shake it. This lemon drop shot is more of a mixed drink: Shake 1/2-ounce each vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a shot glass and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
300 Calories
2g Fat
65g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 300
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 14mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 65g 24%
Dietary Fiber 19g 67%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 356mg 1,781%
Calcium 175mg 13%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 928mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)