Cocktail Hour-Pink Lemonade Lemon Drop Martini

Good Morning, Chickens!

So sorry this took me longer than I thought to get up on the website, but we went to a shrimp boil right after Cocktail Hour and I was just too pooped to make the post!  

So, I shared with y'all my all-time "non-bubbly" favorite cocktail!  I love me a good Lemon Drop Martini.  I also love pink cocktails though and I wondered, "Why is there no Pink Lemon Drop Martini?" 

Well, I started my search on what makes Pink Lemonade "Pink Lemonade"??  That is a story I kind of wish I had never researched!  I knew there were no such things as Pink Lemons!  But, I didn't think that the original Pink came from a circus fiasco and water with red horse jockey stockings being soaked in the water...you can guess.  That is what made the water pink and that was the water that went into the fresh lemonade, and thus the Pink Lemonade was born...this is all a "theory!"  (gross!  I really wish I didn't know this...but I do now and had to share!)

Well...on to MY Pink Lemonade Lemon Drop...I did not soak any of my stockings...I just made Pink Vodka by using food coloring!  My ratio was one cup Vodka to 3 drops of red food coloring.  After mixed with all the other ingredients, it comes out a beautiful shade of pink! 

Pink Lemonade Lemon Drop Martini

Recipe is per cocktail!

• 2 oz of a good quality Vodka (pink!)
• 3/4 oz of your fav orange liqueur I like Grand Marnier
• 1 generous oz of Fresh Squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 oz of simple syrup. (I infused mine with lemon zest for about an hour, then strained it out!)
• lemon wedge and/or tiny pinch of zest for garnish (optional)
• super fine sugar for rimming the glass (I also added lemon zest to this!)

The key to an amazing Lemon Drop is the pop of fresh lemon flavor.  Buy the big lemons for this...smell them, do they smell like fresh lemon juice??  This is important!  :) 

Next, zest a couple of lemons with a fine zester/grater and add about a teaspoon to a couple of table spoons of super fine sugar and let that moisture dry out for at least an hour....then add some more sugar and work the mix with your fingers until it is ready to rim the glass! 

Now, another key is to have the glass COLD...not just chilled, but ICE COLD!  Lol...I think the best martini is freezing cold!  With that said...add all the ingredients to the ice-filled shaker and shake forever!  Then, it just may be cold enough!  

After tossing the ice out of your glass, and rimming it with your zested sugar, then strain the beautiful cocktail into your glass!  Garnish with a tiny lemon wedge and just a tiny tiny pinch of zest!  Voila...perfection!  Truly!  

I hope y'all LOVE this as much as I do...sincerely.  Let me know!!  I'm dying to get your feedback!!  Cheers!

XOXO,

Rhonda