I’ve long enjoyed a lychee martini when available but it wasn’t until I started traveling to China that I attached a sentiment to it. Every China trip I would fly in and fly out of Hong Kong and stay at the W Hotel, which has an excellent lychee martini in their WOOBar. So now when I have a good lychee martini it reminds me of travel, adventure, and the journey ahead. Since I haven’t been to China in a while I decided to come up with the closest lychee martini recipe I could find…and this one’s a winner. It’s so good, if I were in a bar I would order a second round!
Jump to myLychee Martini Recipe
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What is Lychee?
Lychee is a tropical fruit from the soapberry tree and it’s native to China. That’s probably why lychee martinis aren’t that common and you find them at a lot of upscale Asian restaurants. The taste is unique and I’ve heard it explained before as a cross between a floral and a melon flavor.
Fresh Lychee or Canned Lychee?
In the U.S., you can sometimes find fresh lychee in the produce aisle, but if you can’t, they are readily available canned (if not in your store you can order canned online). Generally canned is in syrup, but I have seen them before with no sugar added (although I haven’t tried these).
Lychee is kind of acorn or strawberry shaped and a little smaller than a golf ball. If you use fresh lychee you’ll need to pop off the stem, peel the fruit, and pull out the seed. The flavor isn’t as sweet as canned since canned is stored in syrup.
I prefer to use canned lychee in martinis. Way less work and I like the extra sweetness it gives the drink. Plus you can keep it in your cupboard and have lychee martinis whenever you feel like it. And you will feel like it, trust me!
What are Tapioca Pearls?
A few years ago Boba (or Bubble) tea became very popular in the U.S. and part of it was for the chewy tapioca balls in the bottom of the drink. Originating from Asia, tapioca pearls are translucent chewy spheres made from tapioca and take on whatever flavor they are flavored with. Since lychee is Asian and tapioca balls are Asian and I wanted a little extra lychee flavor in the drink I thought, why not?
These are the lychee tapioca pearls I use. They are easy to make but I must stress that you need to follow the directions and put them in an ice bath to cool them off and prevent overcooking. Also, I only put about 5 or 6 in each martini so only make as many as you think you’ll need.
Jigger | You’ll need to measure your liquids for the martini. Of course, you can use a measuring cup but I find it easier to use my dual-sided jigger, which is a staple of every proper at-home bar.
co*cktail Shaker| The Cobbler shaker is the easiest shaker to use in my opinion since it has a built-in strainer and lid. All-in-one.
Coupe Glasses| The perfect glass for a champagne co*cktail or a martini is a coupe. Trust me, I used to be a drinkware buyer.
The colder the better when it comes to martinis. Shake shake shake that shaker until it’s too cold in your hand.
Make sure you put the tapioca pearls in cold water or an ice bath. You don’t want warm tapioca pearls warming up your martini.
More summer co*cktail recipes to try:
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How Strong Is a Lychee Martini? Like most martinis, this is not a light drink. When made with the average lychee liqueur, its alcohol content falls in the 25 percent ABV (50 proof) range.
What does a lychee martini taste like? Lychees have the sweet taste of grape, strawberry and melon, but with a slight tart finish. They are so unique and so wonderful. When mixed with lychee liqueur and vodka you get a sweet co*cktail that has a wonderful perfume to it but that isn't sickly sweet.
If you have neither the liqueur or the syrup you can use lychee juice. Ceres of South Africa makes an excellent all natural lychee juice that is diluted with pear juice.
A Martini is made using either gin or vodka with the addition of vermouth, a fortified wine which has a low alcohol content. Removing the vermouth from this mix makes this drink 'bone dry' and possibly one of the most alcoholic drinks you can get, as it's made with 100 per cent alcohol.
How to Drink Lychee Liqueur. Unless it's well-chilled and served over ice, most lychee liqueurs are too sweet to drink straight. Instead, top it with a seltzer or tonic water.
Lychee juice is a natural immune system booster. Packed with vitamin C, it helps fortify the body's defense mechanisms, warding off illnesses and promoting a resilient immune system. Regular consumption of lychee juice can contribute to your overall health, especially during seasons when immune support is paramount.
The fruit also may help fight inflammation and oxidative stress associated with diabetes and obesity. However, they do have quite a bit of sugar -- 29 g in a cup. So moderation is key. Diabetics interested in lychee and lychee extracts should consult with a qualified healthcare provider.
The Lychee Martini's mild sweetness makes it a perfect pairing for spicy foods—particularly those that lean on other Asian flavors. It complements and cools without overpowering the flavors in the food.
Liqueur - Dry vermouth adds a savory, almost briney flavor to a lychee martini. If you want to make a sweet lychee martini, substitute with vermouth bianco, lychee liqueur or elderflower liqueur. Citrus - I use lime in this drink but you can get similar flavor results with lemon or sour orange.
Pair this splash of flavour with the likes of A Taste of Shanghai with their Shanghainese specialities such as xiao long bao and pan-fried pork buns. Or order from Din Tai Fung for their freshly made pork dumplings – a perfect pairing for a fresh lychee martini.
Rambutan: Rambutan is closely related to lychee and has a similar sweet and juicy flavour. The flesh is translucent and surrounds a central seed. The outer skin is hairy and red or yellow when ripe. Longan: Often referred to as "dragon eye," longan has a sweet and floral flavour similar to lychee.
Lychees, rambutan and longan are all similar in nutritional content. Like many tropical fruits, they are high in Vitamin C. Lychees are especially rich in Vitamin C, providing more than the daily recommended value in a single 100 gram serving.
Calculating the gin first, 62.5ml multiplied by 0.4 (40%) equals 25ml of pure alcohol. For the vermouth, 30 multiplied by 0.18 (18%) equals 2.25. The pure alcohol content of a classic Martini co*cktail is therefore 27.25ml, equating to an ABV of approximately 28.7% when around 20ml of water is added through stirring.
If you're ordering a Martini out at a nice co*cktail bar, it will likely be served in a coupe or Nick & Nora glass, both of which are perfect for holding the classic Martini, which comes out to around 3 ounces, or two standard drinks.
Otherwise known as vermouth, one of the most popular alcoholic drinks is the Martini. Made from light wine and made sweet through careful distillation, Martini is often enjoyed as aperitif before meals and most of the time at formal occasions. Martini usually contains anywhere around 15% alcohol content.
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