I’m lucky enough to have a fruitful Meyer lemon tree in my front yard, so I often experiment with this sweeter, less acidic citrus in cocktails. This particular recipe was inspired by a Scott Beattie (Cyrus, Spoonbar) creation, the Meyer Beautiful. The brightness of the fresh Meyer lemon readily combines with the citrus undertones of the St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Add a little texture with a shaken egg white, and the result is a truly delicate, dessert-like libation.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 oz citrus vodka (I like the Meyer Lemon Vodka from Charbay)
- 1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 1 oz Meyer lemon juice
- 1/2 oz Meyer lemon peel syrup
- 1 egg white
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1/2 cup sugar (granulated)
- 1/2 cup water
Meyer Lemon Syrup
- 1 Meyer lemon
- 1/2 cup sugar (granulated)
- 1/2 cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the egg white to mixing glass and shake for 10 seconds without ice or any other ingredients. This will help you to create a nice light foam. Once you've agitated the egg white, fill your mixing glass with ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously for a full 30 seconds. Once shaken, double strain into a sour glass and garnish with fresh Meyer lemon zest.
Meyer Lemon Syrup
- Peel one whole Meyer lemon and cut into 1/2-inch strips.
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and bring to a simmer.
- Add the Meyer lemon peel strips and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let syrup come to room temperature before removing lemon strips.
NOTES
This recipe will give you more than a few cocktails worth of Meyer lemon syrup, so be sure to store in your refrigerator for future happy hours.(images by HonestlyYUM)
Norma:
You absolutely can substitute regular lemons! They’re more tart than Meyer, so you’ll end up needing more of the syrup to cut the bitterness. As for the syrup, when I can’t find any Meyers, I’ll do a 50-50 mixture of lemon and orange zest to make mine, which gives it a much lighter intensity.
For the Elderflower Liqueur, it’s very hard to replace the flavor. St. Germaine’s isn’t always easy to find, but there’s a substitute you can get from Ikea if you live near one. If that fails, you can substitute a different liqueur for a slightly different flavor, like Grand Marnier for more orange, or Rosolio for a rose flavor. I like to use Drambuie for a darker honey aftertaste to my citrus cocktails. If you know of flavors you particularly like with lemon, by all means experiment!
Reminds me of years long past. Beautiful memories of Alsace as a child.
Can you substitute regular lemon for the Meyer Lemon and what about the elderberry liquer, we get neither one of them where I live.
wow! delectable! Perfect for spring here on the horizon! thank you!
thanks for the homemade drink tip!
This looks fabulous. Perfect for a brunch!