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Lychee Martini Recipe

Lychee Martini Recipe

Are you looking for a fun and exotic cocktail that you can serve at your next party? If that is you then this lychee martini recipe is going to be right up your alley. 

Martinis are such fun drinks to serve. Whether you prefer the classic martini shaken or stirred this lychee martini is going to be one of your new favorites. It is difficult for me to decide if this spin on a martini is my new favorite or if my favorite is still the Mexican Martini. I just can’t decide!

Now I am a fan of chilling the heck out of a martini glass before serving the martini. Not everyone likes this because the glass will be so cold. This is purely up to you. I like to rinse the glasses under the sink and then shake the excess water off. Then I place it in the freezer for one hour. They come out with ice crystals and it helps keeps the drink chilled.

Are you curious about what the heck lychee is?

It is a tropical fruit from South Asia. It is rather odd-looking and gets even odder when you open it up.

To eat the fruit you break it up to expose the white flesh. You can eat the white fruit inside but do be careful to watch for the pit inside.

The taste of lychee is often described as a floral mix of strawberries and watermelon. You truly have to taste it to understand.

How to prepare lychee?

Lychee looks leathery and intimidating but they are surprisingly simple to peel. Remove the outer layer of the fruit, often called the husk.

Then you can slice the inner white fruit to reveal the seed. Remove the seed and then eat the fruit or cut it up however you would prefer.

Homemade lychee martini ingredients

Lychee – We prefer to make this recipe with fresh lychees and create our lychee juice from them but if you can’t find any at your local supermarket there are canned versions of the fruit.

Ice cubes – When it comes to the ice for a cocktail you have a lot of options these days. You can use the ice from your refrigerator. You can also do what we did an buy some ice cube molds for the freezer. I love using these for cocktails. They are pretty AND they melt slower.

Vodka – Go with your favorite non-flavored vodka. I would recommend the highest quality that you can get your hands on. It is a crucial ingredient to this recipe and the quality will come through.

Simple syrup – This is an optional item but it really brings out the flavor of the lychee and enhances the drink so much that we always use it. I keep a jar of simple syrup in the bar area at all times but you can also make your own.

Orange liquor – We traditionally use Cointreau as our orange liquor but you can use any type that you prefer.

Lemon juice – If you have fresh lemons and have the time, freshly squeezed lemon juice will always be the best. If you are like us and always looking to save time then lemon juice from a jar will suit.

Homemade lychee martini recipe

A lychee martini is actually quite simple to create. It sounds exotic and it is because it includes an exotic fruit. It is delicious and easy.Before you start mixing your martini chill the martini glasses in the freezer. I also recommend that you put 2 lychees that are peeled and the seed has been removed from in the freezer. You can use these as a garnish and they will also act like an ice cube in the drink. 

Step 1: Decide if you are using fresh lychee or canned lychee. Both options are perfect for this recipe but fresh fruit always tastes best.

If using fresh lychee start by peeling it and removing the outer husk. It is quite easy to remove with just your fingers. Next, cut the white fruit inside so that you can remove the brown seed. 

Step 2: Muddle the lychee in your cocktail shaker until you have created a juice from the fruit. If you would like to do so you can put the lychee in a small food processor and create a juice using that.

Step 3: Fill the cocktail shaker with ice. Then add in the vodka, lemon juice, and orange liquor of your choice. Shake vigorously until it is fully mixed and very cold.

Step 4: Strain the contents into a martini glass and garnish with fresh lychee.

Supplies to gather

Making a martini doesn’t require many supplies but there are a couple of pieces that you will want to have on hand for sure.

  • Cocktail shaker – Cocktail shakers are something that I have strong feelings about. Those beautiful metal ones are so fun to look at but just terrible to use. I much prefer an insulated plastic one that doesn’t freeze my hands off as I use them. 
  • Martini glasses
  • Ice 
  • Ingredients
Lychee Martini Recipe

Lychee Martini Recipe

Yield: 2 drinks
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes

This lychee martini recipe can be made with fresh lychee or canned lychee. It only requires a few ingredients and is easy to make a cocktail.

Ingredients

  • Ice cubes
  • 8 lychees
  • 6 oz vodka
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 1 ½ oz Orange liquor

Instructions

  1. Muddle 6 of the lychee in the cocktail shaker. Heavily muddle the lychee until it is broken down and juice is created. (If you prefer you could blend the lychee in a small food processor to create the juice.)
  2. Fill the shaker with ice. Then add in the vodka, lemon juice, and orange liquor. 
  3. Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously.
  4. Strain the contents from the shaker into a martini glass. 
  5. Garnish each glass with the remaining lychee.

Notes

We recommend chilling the martini glasses in the freezer for one hour before serving but this is purely optional.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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