The raspberry lemon drop martini is a refreshing cocktail with freshly crushed raspberries, lemon juice, and vodka. It has a nice balance of sweet and tart, with the berries and lemons complementing each other perfectly. This cocktail is delicious in the summer when fresh berries are in season. Perfect for sipping on the patio on a hot summer day.

Raspberry martini in a martini glass garnished with a sugared rim, raspberries and lemon wedge.

The lemon raspberry martini is a delicious, refreshing cocktail, perfect for summer sipping. It has a balance of sweet and tart and goes down smoothly.

If you like this, you may also love the strawberry lemon drop or the grapefruit martini.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase

Why We Love the Raspberry Lemon Drop

A raspberry lemon drop martini is a delicious take on the popular lemon drop martini. It is a perfect summer cocktail for sipping on the patio.

It is made with lemon juice and lemon vodka, but the addition of freshly crushed raspberries makes it sweeter than a standard lemon martini, yet it still has a nice tart flavor.

This cocktail goes down smoothly and has a nice, bright finish. Be careful, as it can be easy to drink it quickly.

I grew up in what’s known as the berry capital of Canada, so raspberries always remind me of summer, and I always look forward to berry season. Raspberries, with their bold flavor have always been my favorite.

The great thing about berries is their ability to pair well with so many other flavors.

Berries and lemon are always a fantastic combination, as the lemon adds a sour note while bringing out the flavour of the fresh berries.

I highly recommend making this drink with fresh berries and fresh lemon for the best flavor, but if raspberries are not in season, you can use frozen berries as long as you thaw them first. In a pinch, you can substitute the whole berries with 1-2 ounces of raspberry juice.

It’s also easy to turn this into a sparkling raspberry lemon cocktail by adding the drink to a tall glass filled with ice and then topping it with sparkling water or club soda.

Raspberry martini with a sugared rim, raspberries on a cocktail pick and a lemon wedge.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Fresh raspberries– While fresh raspberries are best, frozen berries will work as long as they are thawed first.

Fresh lemon juice – You will need one to two whole lemons, depending on their size. While you could use bottled if you don’t have fresh lemons on hand, you may need to adjust the amount as bottled can have a stronger taste than fresh.

Vodka—I highly recommend using lemon or citrus vodka for this recipe. If you’d rather have more berry flavor than lemon, you can use raspberry vodka instead. Plain vodka will work, but it will dilute the fruit flavors of the drink.

Gin can be used instead of vodka if you enjoy the botanical notes of the spirit. You can also replace some of the vodka with limoncello if you want an even bolder lemon flavor.

Simple syrup – Simple syrup is made from equal parts water and granulated sugar. You don’t need a lot for this recipe, but it does help mellow the tartness and blend the flavours. You can use raspberry simple syrup instead of regular to increase the raspberry flavor.

Bottle of vodka, simple syrup, lemons, and a bowl of raspberries.

How to Make a Raspberry Lemon Martini

Add a handful of raspberries to a cocktail shaker and crush them with a muddler or spoon to release their juice.

Raspberries and a muddler in a cocktail shaker.

Fill the cocktail shaker half way with ice, then add the vodka, simple syrup and lemon juice.

Place the lid on the shaker and shake until frosty and cold.

Crushed raspberries in a cocktail shaker with ice and vodka.

Pour the martini between the two martini glasses. Then garnish each with fresh raspberries and a lemon wedge.

If you’d like the martini glasses to have a sugared rim, simply run a lemon wedge around the rim and dip it in a shallow dish of granulated sugar.

HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP

Simple syrup is made with just 2 ingredients:

Granulated sugar
Water

Simply place equal parts sugar and water in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow the sugar water to cool and then pour into a container, such as a glass jar or bottle, for storage.

This should keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Two raspberry martinis on a serving tray with lemons and raspberries.

More Martini Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Equipment

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase

While you don’t need anything other than something to shake the cocktail and a couple of glasses, some things will make your cocktail experience more enjoyable.

Cocktail shaker – A cocktail shaker will help you mix your drinks quickly while chilling them. There are many styles to choose from, and you don’t need anything fancy. One of my favourites is a mason jar style shaker, and if you don’t have a proper cocktail shaker, a mason jar with a lid will work too.

Muddler – A muddler is a tool with a long handle and flat, textured head, that is used to crush cocktail ingredients such as berries and herbs. The long handle makes it easy to reach the bottom of the cocktail shaker. If you don’t have one of these, you can use a long spoon instead.

Martini glasses – You don’t need anything fancy, but proper martini glasses will make this drink extra pretty. You can use stemmed martini glasses or stemless martini glasses. A short cocktail glass will work fine if you don’t have a martini glass.

Jigger – A jigger will allow you to measure your ingredients precisely. It is small and designed to measure and pour the smaller quantities generally used in cocktails. You can use a small measuring cup or glass if you don’t have a jigger.

Cocktail picks – Cocktail picks are not essential but will allow you to add fun garnishes without falling to the glass’s bottom.