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.
Lychee liqueurs are typically clear or pale pink (the color of rosé wine). Though rare, a few are a deep, rose-like red, most likely due to coloring additives. They're bottled between 18 percent and 21 percent alcohol by volume (ABV, 36 to 42 proof).
Lychee fruit has many health benefits. Consuming lychee is good for your heart, liver, and brain health. It is also effective against diseases like diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Its antioxidant activity can protect from free radical damage.
You can also order a martini “dry” or “bone dry”, which means using less vermouth, therefore making the martini even stronger. This popular drink is made up of a combination of four different types of liquor, cementing its spot on our list of strongest co*cktails.
The most important question: What does lychee taste like? The aromatic lychee is sweet, with slightly floral and acidic notes. Upon biting, you'll get a juicy flavor burst with a taste similar to a strawberry or pear with a hint of citrus. Some also compare the floral taste to rose.
Lychee: Pairs well with citrus, ginger, gooseberry, tropical fruit, and vanilla. It mixes especially well with sake, tequila, and vodka to make some stunning lychee co*cktails.
These spirits contain sugar and other ingredients that can spoil, and some are more problematic than others. Generally, you'll want to discard open bottles after about 18 months.
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. These Lychee martinis are seriously drinkable!
This martini takes us back to the United States but with a decidedly Asian influence. It was reportedly invented at a Korean restaurant in midtown, New York. Add a touch of vermouth to a martini glass (although you can omit this completely if you like, and indeed in most cases I do).
One of the most important characteristics of a lychee martini is the wonderful sweet fragrance and flavor of the fresh lychee fruit. A good lychee martini should smell and taste like lychee. As the martini is slowly sipped it should conjure up images of exotic and far away tropical places.
The lychee wine produced from reconstituted lychee juice concentrate under the optimized conditions contained 11.60% (v/v) ethanol, 92 mg/L total esters, 124 mg/L total aldehydes, and 0.78% (v/v) titratable acidity.
The flavor of a lychee is sweet, with notes of citrus and watermelon, but most notably tastes of a cross between strawberry and pear with rose water mixed in.
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.
Soho is a premium liquor that brings the unique, fruity flavor of lychee to every co*cktail. Soho allows the tastebuds to embark on a whole new journey through a world of sense with its vibrant floral aromas and candied fruit flavors.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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