When life gives you Meyer lemons, take my advice… make Meyer lemon martinis. Oh, how I  adore Meyer lemons. They’re thought to be a cross between a traditional lemon and a mandarin orange.   At first bite, you get that almost unbearable sour taste, but once that diminishes, you discover a hint of sweetness.

Lucky for me, one of my martini lovin’ girlfriends, Laura, just happens to have a Meyer lemon tree with ripe lemons. She and I are back to meeting up at one another’s houses for Happy Hour, instead of our favorite martini bar. We’re both about a week away from summer vacation, and as wonderful as having ten weeks off a year is, neither of us get a paycheck until the end of September. Yikes!  Goodbye ten dollar martinis! It was Laura’s turn to be our bartender, so I ordered a Meyer lemon martini, several days in advance. The secret to Laura’s recipe is to muddle the lemons in the martini shaker before adding the rest of the ingredients and shaking it up. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the back of a wooden spoon. This martini is a strong one, but great to sip. If you enjoy a traditional lemon drop martini, you’re going to love this one. The cointreau and fresh Meyer lemon juice sweeten it up a bit, without being too overpowering.  

Has life given you any lemons lately? This has been a challenging year for so many of us. Life handed me a few lemons this year in the form of a teacher’s strike, reduction in pay, and uncertainty about the future. Here’s what experience has taught me; when life gives me a lemon, it’s up to me to make it a Meyer lemon. Hidden in every life challenge is a little sweetness. Sometimes we have to make our way through the bitterness first, before we discover the sweetness.  

Cheers to seeking out the sweetness in whatever lemons life presents you with this week! 

Meyer Lemon Martini

3 ounces Grey Goose vodka

1 ounce Cointreau

2 teaspoon simple syrup

1.5 ounce freshly squeeze Meyer lemon juice

4-5 ice cubes

2 Meyer lemons

superfine sugar, for the martini glass rim

lemon wedges for garnish

Chill martini glasses in the freezer for at least 10 minutes prior to serving. Squeeze the lemon juice and set aside. Place three lemon wedges from the freshly squeezed lemon inside the cocktail shaker. Use a muddler to muddle the lemon wedges. Add ice, vodka, cointreau, lemon juice, and simple syrup into the cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Run the lemon twist around the edge of the chilled martini glass and rim with super-fine sugar. Pour the strained martini into the chilled glasses and serve. Garnish with lemon wedges. (makes 2)