This lychee martini is light, sweet, and refreshing. It is infused with the flavor of the lychee, a tropical fruit originally native to Asia.
I first tried this lychee cocktail about fifteen years ago in a bar in Toronto. It was so tasty that the first thing I did when I got home was buy a bottle of the lychee liqueur to make this cocktail at home.
The bartender was nice enough to share his formula so that I could recreate the flavor and experience. It’s a great way to extend a vacation one you get home!
While not officially a “martini,” this cocktail is perfect for spring and summer, when fruity martini cocktails are on the menu. It reminds me of the days when everyone was drinking Cosmopolitans, Apple-tinis, and Lemon Drops (while watching Sex and City re-runs).
Serve it along with the French Martini, the Elderflower Martini, and the Watermelon Martini…. or throw a tropical fruit cocktail party and serve it along with an array of other “freaky” fruit flavored cocktails.
Lychee Martini Ingredients:
Lychee Liqueur: The brand I’ve enjoyed is Soho, which is actually from France. This liqueur will mix well with vodka, sparkling wine, juices, sake, soju, rum, ginger ale, or club soda for a refreshing drink.
Pomegranate Vodka: You can also use plain vodka or a citrus flavored vodka.
Cointreau: To add a little citrus flavor.
Fresh Lychees: Remove the hard outer peel along with the seed (which is inedible), and garnish your drink. Save the lychee to enjoy when you have finished your cocktail!
If you cannot find fresh lychees, or they are out of season, you can easily substitute canned lychees, which come already peeled and seeded and packed in syrup.
More About Lychees:
Lychees are native to south Asia and are now grown in other parts of the world, including Mexico, South Africa depending on the season.
Grown on evergreen trees, they are super juicy and sweet. They are best kept chilled and are delicious in fruit salads and dessert. It’s best not to peel and seed them until right before serving.
To Make This Lychee Martini:
First, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the liqueurs and vodka.
Next, shake or stir the ingredients until the mixture is ice cold and then strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass.
Finally, garnish with one or two (or three!) peeled and seeded lychees and enjoy!
Variations and Adaptations:
If you’re not ready to buy a bottle of lychee liqueur yet, you can substitute a non-alcoholic lychee syrup, juice, or even some of the liquid from the canned lychees. It’s not exactly the same, but the flavors are very close.
For the vodka, any flavored or unflavored vodka will work. I like using the pomegranate vodka because it seems to “go” so well with the sweet and fragrant lychee flavor. A citrus vodka would also be a nice contrast to the lychee liqueur.
For the Cointreau, you can substitute triple sec. To lighten up the alcohol in the coctail, instead of the Cointreau, you could simply substitute a blend of citrus juices such as lemon, lime, and tangerine or orange.
Note: Due to the sweet nature of the lychee flavor, this cocktail goes down pretty easy!
Enjoy this tropical cocktail, with its sweet and fragrant flavors, all summer long!
“L” is for Lemon, Lima Bean, Lobster, Lasagna, Leeks, Licorice, and Lychee!
To continue the 2025 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begins with “L” or include ingredients that that begin with “L.”
This is the second year that we are cooking through the alphabet. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed flexing new cooking muscles and making dishes I might not have thought about.
For the 2024 challenge, I made Barbecued Pork Lo Mein, which was delicious!
Lychee Martini
Yield: 1 cocktail
Author: Karen Kerr
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
This lychee martini is light, sweet, and refreshing. It is infused with the flavor of the lychee, a tropical fruit originally native to Asia.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pomegranate flavored vodka (or another flavored or plain vodka)
- 1 ounce lychee liqueur
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau
- 1 to 2 lychees, peeled and seeded
Instructions
- In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine the vodka and liqueurs and shake or stir.
- Strain the ingredients into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with the peeled and seeded lychee fruit.
Karen’s Kitchen Stories
martini, lychee
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