Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce lychee liqueur
- ½ ounce lychee syrup or juice
- ¼ ounce dry vermouth
- Ice
- Lychee for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, vodka, lychee liqueur, lychee syrup, and dry vermouth.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lychee, if desired.
Variations and Substitutions
The lychee martini isn't quite like any other cocktail out there. You can try a few of these variations as you experiment.
- Lychee pairs well with coconut, honey, lime, pears, oranges, and raspberries. Why does this matter? Try your lychee martini with flavored vodka using these.
- In addition to vodka, you can use those flavors with simple syrup or liqueur in place of lychee.
- You can skip the dry vermouth in favor of Lillet Blanc, a style of semi-sweet vermouth.
- Add a splash of coconut rum to up the tropical flavors.
Garnishes
The lychee martini can use any complementary flavor for a garnish; you don't need to limit yourself to a lychee or two, although you will have several on hand should you use lychee syrup from a can.
- Utilize the flavor pairings and use a raspberry or orange wedge as a garnish.
- Use a lime wedge, wheel, or slice to give a stronger tart citrus note or a lime ribbon, twist, or peel for a pop of color without an overwhelming citrus touch.
- Add a strip of coconut with or without another garnish.
- A pear wedge or slice adds an elegant touch.
- Consider a mint sprig for a touch of refreshment.
About the Lychee Martini
Lychees are a sweet tropical fruit that can be very offputting at first glance. However, once you peel the fruit, inside is a sweet treat, with pear, grape, and watermelon notes. After one bite, you'll wonder why there isn't a list of lychee cocktails.
Finding lychee, be it the fruit, liqueur, or syrup, can prove to be complicated. Locating canned lychee can make your life infinitely easier. From there, you have lychee to snack on while you prepare your cocktail, as well as a garnish. The lychee will be in syrup, perfect for adding to your cocktail, or you can make a simple syrup with this. You can even make a lychee puree!
A New Martini
Although the lychee fruit may not be familiar to you, it will soon become the cocktail your friends are all asking for any time they see you. Thankfully, the lychee pairs well with so many other fruity and tropical flavors meaning your lychee martini options are endless. Perfect for making all those friends happy.
