Lemon drop champagne punch

December 17 2014
by emma

I love this lemony, fresh and sparkly cocktail; perfect for an aperitif (before dinner drink) around Christmas time.

(Limoncello is a really lovely, intensely lemon flavoured liqueur which is great in cocktails (obv.), champagne or even baking and trifles)

 

lemon drop champagne recipe

xmas lemon drop

xmas lemon drop

xmas lemon drop

xmas lemon drop

Recipe for lemon drop champagne punch:

3 medium lemons, room temperature
6 x 20ml tblspns white caster sugar
120mls (1/2 cup) vodka, chilled
3 mini bottles sparkling wine or champagne, chilled (200ml bottles)
Limoncello (optional)

Use a vegetable peeler to peel off 6 long, thin slices of lemon peel, twist around into spirals and place into a heat-proof jug.

Roll lemons then juice them, then strain juice through a sieve (it should end up being around 150-160mls or around 2/3 cup).  Add lemon juice, sugar and around 1/2 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to medium/high heat, stirring continuously until sugar has dissolved completely.  Bring to a gentle simmer and stand over it for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture reduces then remove from the heat and sit for a few minutes.  Pour into jug over lemon peel and chill for at least a couple of hours until nice and cold.

Add 30mls of lemon sugar syrup with the lemon peel to 6 champagne or cocktail glasses each; add 20mls of vodka to each glass, a dash of Limoncello if you have it, then top with champagne.

Makes: 6 servings at around 2 standard drinks each

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

13 Responses leave one →
  1. Ohh – these look like perfect/scrumptious aperitifs. I have no idea what Limoncello is but it sure sounds delicious too. Beautiful photos! Merry Christmas you two! 😀

    1. Thank you Padaek 🙂 oh and Limoncello is a gorgeous lemon liqueur; thanks for the heads up, I’ve updated the post 🙂

      1. Thanks for that Emma. It sounds divine. Now, I’m on the lookout to find me some Limoncello to make me some of these lovely cocktails! 🙂

  2. Beautiful and perfect for a warm-weather Christmas! We celebrate in sunshine, too, in Southern California. Might have to give these a try…

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