Elevate Your Lemon Drop Cocktail With A Splash Of One Fruity Ingredient

Vodka, simple syrup, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice. It doesn't get much easier than a classic lemon drop cocktail — it also doesn't get much tastier, more refreshing, or better balanced. The lemon drop is a demonstration of the time-honored daisy cocktail category, which combines a spirit, a citrus element, and a sweet element with a sugar source and liqueur. Here, the bright acidity of the lemon is tempered with sweet simple syrup and citrusy-sweet orange liqueur.

The lemon drop is perfect on its own, but there's another benefit to its simplicity: The opportunity for experimentation is practically endless. You can essentially apply any of your favorite lemon-and-other-fruit combos here. And one of the best, sure to please any imbiber for any occasion? Strawberry lemon drops. There's proof this pairing sings — just look at the popularity of strawberry lemonade. Strawberry has a perfect flavor profile for this cocktail. It's sweet enough to balance lemon's sourness, but has some tartness to cut through the drink's sugar and liqueur. 

There are options for adding strawberry to this cocktail, too. You can use a high-quality store-bought syrup — one of the best Monin flavored syrups is a fragrant strawberry rose variety, for instance. Or, you can easily make your own flavored syrup with strawberries, which gives you control of the intensity and other flavor additions. There's also the fresh fruit approach: Simply muddle strawberries with sugar or simple syrup into your cocktail shaker.

You'll want two good-sized strawberries per lemon drop cocktail. If you use a syrup, use the same proportions as a traditional recipe does for triple sec: ½ ounce for 2 ounces of vodka and 1 ounce of lemon juice. If you want to keep the orange flavor present, start with a ¼ ounce of strawberry syrup and a ¼ ounce of orange liqueur. Whether you keep the liqueur or not, tweak the amounts until you find the ratio that works for you. 

Any fan of strawberry lemonade will love this sweet-and-tart lemon drop upgrade. But why stop there? There are delicious flavor profiles you can build on the strawberry and lemonade here. Adding fresh herbs to lemonade is an instant flavor boost, and it works for this lemony cocktail. Basil is a lush complement to both lemon and strawberry, and it's easy to either muddle it with the strawberries or add it to your simple syrup. The same goes for mint. 

Other flavors that play well with the balance between lemon and strawberry are fragrant lavender or rose, pomegranate, watermelon, blueberries, tropical mango, or passion fruit. Even spicy ginger or black pepper could work well in the cocktail. You could add more of a rounded sweetness with vanilla or honey. Any of these flavors can be worked into your strawberry lemon drop via store-bought or homemade simple syrups, fresh ingredients muddled with sugar, liqueurs, juices, or purées.