Tangy, sweet, and refreshing! This creamy lemon (ball) drop cocktail is perfect for toasting to the New Year. Let’s celebrate how far we’ve come and where we’re going! Cheers to you, my friends.
The Story
A new year, a new delicious cocktail!
The following films remind me of beginnings. They pair nicely with my creamy lemon drop cocktail:
1. About A Boy (2002) – Comedy/Drama
2. About Time (2013) – Romance/Comedy
3. Boogie Nights (1997) – Indie Drama
4. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – Romance/Comedy
5. Last Holiday (2006) – Romance/Comedy
6. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – Heist Comedy/Crime/Thriller
7. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – Romance/Comedy
8. Someone Like You (2001) – Romance/Comedy
9. Sunset Boulevard (1950) – Noir/Drama
10. The Holiday (2006) – Romance/Comedy
11. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Romance/Comedy
12. While You Were Sleeping (1995) – Romance/Comedy
Here’s to more movie marathons and culinary adventures! Whatever the new year has in store, we’ll be in it together. I leave you with two quotes that make me feel optimistic about the future.
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” — Edith Pierce
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” — T.S. Eliot
The Recipe: Creamy Lemon Drop Cocktail
Out of all the cocktails I could’ve chosen, I was inspired to craft an original lemon drop. Bright and citrusy, with a touch of coconut cream, this versatile drink is simply delicious! The color alone puts me in a good mood. Sure, we may be in the middle of winter, but this is one way to catch some sun.
Creamy Lemon Drop Cocktail
Equipment
- Citrus Juicer
- Zester
- Muddler
- Jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Ice Sphere Mold (optional)
- Martini Glass
- Small Plates (for toppings)
Ingredients
Lemon Drop
- 2 ounces vodka (or gin)
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 1 ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 pumps cream of coconut (Coco Reàl)
- 0.5 ounce triple sec
Non-Alcoholic Version
Toppings
- 1 ice sphere (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba foam (see notes)
- lemon zest (to taste)
- sugar (for the rim)
- dried strawberries (crushed)
Instructions
- Wet the rim of a martini glass with a lemon slice or wedge.
- Dip it in sugar, zest, crushed dried strawberries, or the like.
- Place your ice sphere into the glass.
- Into a cocktail shaker: add the vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, cream of coconut, and triple sec.
- Mix the ingredients for 30 seconds. Shake, shake, shake!
- Strain your cocktail into the martini glass.
- Add your toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- I bought Tøvolo ice sphere molds! In these, it takes water about 6 hours to solidify. It’s best to let your spheres rest in the freezer overnight. You can fill the bottom mold up to the line. Once you cover it with the silicone top, pour more liquid up to the brim. Orange juice and butterfly pea tea are my favorite infusions.
- Butterfly pea tea is especially fun! In hot water, the tea is naturally a deep blue. When you add an acidic ingredient (lemon juice in our case), its color changes to purple.
- IF you are not using the (slow melting) sphere molds, then you can mix regular ice with your cocktail ingredients in the shaker. This will give your drink the perfect amount of chill. However, I recommend straining your final product into the glass without ice.
- Making aquafaba foam is super easy! You just need a can of UNSALTED chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Remove every bean and save the liquid. Use a mixer to blend the brine with 1 teaspoon of sugar. It should take about 4-5 minutes to foam!
