Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: Lemon Drop Martini by The Dana Files from Plover, WI, United States · CC BY 2.0 · All credits
Ingredients
- 50 ml Jigger The large side of a standard jigger, filled to the top: 50 ml, with 25 ml on the other side. Vodka
- 25 ml Jigger The small side of a standard jigger, filled to the top: 25 ml, with 50 ml on the other side. Lemon juice
- 15 ml Spoons A tablespoon. Simple syrup
- 10 ml Spoons Two teaspoons. Triple sec (optional)
- 5 ml Spoons A teaspoon. Sugar - For the rim (optional)
- 1 twist Lemon twist (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake the liquids with ice and strain into a sugared glass.
Method
- Rub the rim of a chilled glass with lemon and dip it in sugar.
- Shake the vodka, lemon juice, syrup and triple sec with ice for 12 seconds.
- Double strain into the prepared glass.
- Add a twist of lemon and drink it while it is still very cold.
Serve it
Lemon Drop
The Lemon Drop was invented in San Francisco in the 1970s, and for a long time it existed mainly as a shot with a sugar-coated lemon wedge on the side, which is a fine way to start an evening and a poor way to spend one. The drink version is much better than its reputation: sharp, clean and, made with fresh lemon, genuinely lovely.
Getting it right
Sugar on the rim is the whole point and also the whole risk - it makes the first sip sweet and the rest of the drink sour, but sugar loose on the outside of the glass is unpleasant, so wipe the rim and be tidy about it. Fresh lemon juice is not negotiable; the bottled sort tastes faintly of furniture polish and there is nothing here to cover it. Use a good vodka if you are using vodka at all, or swap it for gin and call it a Bee's Knees without the honey.
Tasting notes
Lemon sherbet, essentially, with a clean alcoholic warmth behind it and a sweet rim. It tastes like a very good school-night treat, which is not a criticism.
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