The Best Lemon Drop Martini Recipe
This is a post I did a couple of years ago that I decided to publish again for a couple of reasons. I was reminded of this Lemon Drop Martini when my blogging pal John at Kitchen Riffs shared a post today with the same cocktail. Sort of made me crave it so there is that…it is a fantastic blend of fresh citrus juice and rind with vodka and vanilla bean. A large number of readers have never seen it and that needed correcting; it is SO good. As important? When I went to check out the recipe I was hit with just how awful the photos were. Too awful to represent such a favorite. So I made a batch, took some photos and then invited my neighbor Amy over to share a cocktail with me on the back porch…win-win right?
Since the evening over 3 years ago I’ve been to visit D Bar Desserts again and left just as impressed. They’ve since moved into new digs and the new place was beautiful and a friend and I had a great time sampling their menu with other locals from the media. Of particular love for both of us were these Fried Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha and Honey Glaze; they were so amazing do make sure you check them out. I’m craving them now too doggone it!
It was 2012 when I was invited to join other local bloggers to participate in a tasting at Denver’s D Bar Desserts as a prelude to Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour in Denver that year when four different restaurants featured a specialty burger using Tillamook Cheese. We sampled some Tillamook Cheese, were treated to a tasting of the burger that D Bar Desserts will be making and for me, the highlight of the evening? This oh my gosh it truly is the Best Lemon Drop Martini!
Created by the husband and wife team of Keegan Gerhard & Lisa Bailey, D Bar Desserts was opened in May of 2008 and has been acclaimed every year since. You might know Keegan from his many appearances on the Food Network Challenge programs. It’s easy to see why he is successful in those endeavors; his comfort in front of our audience was evident. He was gracious and warm and spent time conversing with everyone there and definitely went out of his way to insure that everything was perfect; especially the food! I’m sure I speak for our entire group; we could not have been more impressed.
We started outdoors with appetizers including fresh fruit, samples of different types of Tillamook Cheese and a favorite item on the restaurant menu, some amazing Tillamook cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Cocktails were served and I am so glad I ordered the Lemon Drop Vanilla Bean cocktail I’m featuring. Many thanks to Keegan and his staff for being so gracious and sharing their recipe. They also turned me onto using cake decorating crystals for cocktail ribs…just so very pretty. Fair warning, those sugar crystals come in multiple colors and are sure to be gracing more of my cocktails down the road; I love them!
Denver Burger Week, which ran from June 23 to June 30 that year featured four local burger hotspots offering a unique burger special featuring award-winning Tillamook Cheese. One of my favorite things? The ‘Loafster’ – the most adorable vehicle ever; a retrofitted 1960’s Volkswagen van. If I had known they made these mini versions I might have been sourcing the country for one too! Here are the participating restaurants and the specialty burger they served that week:
D Bar Desserts
KGB 2.0 – Kobe beef, Applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, served on a Cheesy waffle stuffed with Pimento cheese. ($12)
Rackhouse Pub
The Saucy – Premium certified Angus beef cooked mid-rare to medium, topped with onion, mushroom, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese sauce. ($11)
Steuben’s
The Funky Tilla-monkey Burger – A Steuben’s burger topped with Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese, bacon, crispy romaine lettuce, and banana pepper pico de gallo. Served on a locally made brioche bun. ($9)
Freshcraft
Tri Pepper Caribbean Burger – House ground lamb and pork Juicy Lucy, stuffed with Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese, topped with Scotch bonnet sofrito and plantain chips, served on a roasted jalapeño bun. ($10.50)
Now back to that burger! We watched as Keegan prepared herbed, cheesy waffles which would serve as the ‘bun’ for what has to be the most innovative burger I’ve ever had. As he mixed and prepared the waffle mixture; it was the perfect opportunity to wrangle some insight from him on high altitude cooking and much of his theory solidified things I’ve been doing (higher heat is key). Do you want to know how much better I felt when he concurred that angel food cake is HARD; that of the EPIC fail. I’ll try it again now that I’ve got some tips from an expert who also knows the issues of high altitude; I’ll let you know how that works out. ;)
The herbed, cheese stuffed waffle ‘bun’ was amazing but it was the combination of all of the elements that really took this burger over the top. Kobe beef, Applewood bacon, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese were fantastic. I loved it so much I recreated it too; if you’ve never had a waffle burger, this would be a good one to try for your first experience!
D Bar Desserts made it’s name with desserts; Chef Keegan is an award winning pastry chef so it made sense that his venture would specialize in desserts (though D Bar is more than ‘just’ desserts). Our dessert trio consisted of a luscious chocolate for dipping, a fried pastry that was lovingly referred to as a ‘Chia Churro’ (yes, that’s chia on top!) and an amazing mini creme brulee. That rich chocolate sauce for dipping didn’t hurt either. The creme brulee was fantastic. Much like my attitude towards cheesecake, I like them simple and not filled or flavored with a bunch of other ingredients; that perfectly crisp and lightly burned sugar topping should not have to compete and this one was just perfect.
LOVE the flecks of vanilla and grateful for the sparkling sugar tip for the rim!
An altogether fabulous evening filled with wonderful people, some new friends and great food. My thanks to both Tillamook and D Bar Desserts.
This Lemon Drop really was a fabulous cocktail; unique in that lemonade is the base instead of lemon simple syrup and also in it’s inclusion of vanilla bean paste; both the taste and visual effect of floating vanilla flecks made for the best Lemon Drop I’ve ever had. Loved it. You will be thanking them too; this cocktail is divine!
Lemon Drop Martini Serves: Approximately 2 cups of lemonade mix Ingredients For the Lemon Drop Mixture:
¼ cup hot water 1 cup sugar 1 & ½ tsp vanilla paste 2 lemons ½ lime 1 & ½ - 2 cups cold water For the Cocktail:
3-4 oz of Lemon Drop Mixture 1.5 oz of Vodka To Rim the Glass:
Lemon slices Sugar (The restaurant used larger granule cake decorating sugar and I HAD to have some. I found it at Michaels.) Preparation To Make the Lemon Drop Mixture:
Blend ¼ cup hot water, sugar and vanilla paste in food processor at low speed while you cut fruit in quarters. Stop blender, add cut fruit and cold water to taste (I had large fruit so used 2 cups). Pulse until no large pieces remain; approximately 5 or 6 times (do not over blend because it could create a sour taste). Strain into container and chill. To Make the Cocktail:
Rim the edge of a martini glass with lemon juice and dip in sugar. Combine the Lemon Drop Mixture with vodka in a cocktail mixer. Add ice and shake vigorously 10-12 times. Pour into glass and serve. Notes I didn't have any vanilla paste on hand so made my own vanilla bean syrup but you can buy the paste online or at Williams-Sonoma stores.
Here is how to make the syrup at home:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise & seeds scraped, pod cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp vodka (for preserving)
Combine the water & sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the vanilla beans and the pods and leave uncovered until cooled. Stir in the vodka and pour into a container with a lid and let steep.
Store in the refrigerator.
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