Lychee Martini - Saturday Night Cocktail Hour

Monday, March 19th, 2007

Lychee is one of my favorite fruits; I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like lychee. I love the sweetness and the texture and it brings back a lot of childhood memories of palm fruits and young coconuts. Harvested during early summer, fresh lychees are available in Asian stores in spring and summer, and in canned form throughout the year. Lychee makes a wonderful addition to fruit salads and can be used to make a bunch of desserts and cocktails. A web search also revealed a collection of recipes including main dishes and appetizers using Lychee. Check out http://www.lycheesonline.com/recipes.cfm

Learn more about Lychee in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee

Since I am married to a great mixologist, who maintains a well stocked bar, our cocktail hours are never dull. This week he made this wonderful Lychee Martini on my request, it was so great I couldn’t help but share the recipe to the world.

Ingredients

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
1 tsp Lime concentrate
2 oz Lychee Drink (Available in Aasian stores)
1 tsp Triple Sec (Cointreau or Grenadine could be used for extra flavor if needed)

Method

In a cocktail shaker half filled with ice, mix all the ingredients and shake well.
Strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with one or two lychees on a skewer. (We used mint leaves since we were out of lychees.)

Tip: The secret to any great tasting martini is to start with a high quality vodka, it makes a big difference. We love Grey Goose.

BTW, the best thing about a Lychee Martini is that you can spill an entire glass on your couch, and it doesn’t stain, trust me, I can show you a picture of my couch :-).

Technorati tags: Cocktails, Lychee Drinks, Lychee Martini

Comments

20 Responses to “Lychee Martini - Saturday Night Cocktail Hour”

Gini on March 19th, 2007 2:35 pm

And how did I miss your blog this long? I am a martini lover too, and although I don’t have the world’s best mixer mine does a decent job:)
Guess what we are making soon!
Anonymous on March 19th, 2007 2:50 pm

Looks great!!! I’ve only had Lychee Martini made with Lychee flavored Liqueur, will try it with Lychee drink next time.

-HP
swapna on March 19th, 2007 5:29 pm

I love litchis!!I don’t know about this recipe.I love them taking as a fruit only..the martini is looking good
Jason Truesdell on March 19th, 2007 6:17 pm

Nearly every summer, when lychee become reasonably inexpensive at Uwajimaya or Central Market, I make a lychee-infused vodka. It starts tasting fairly nice with about 3 or 4 months infusion. I’m fond of it simply poured over ice, but it also likes being mixed with grapefruit juice, sometimes a bit more vodka or shochu, and club soda.
Mishmash ! on March 19th, 2007 6:52 pm

WOW,now thats something very interesting Will give a try for sure. Thanks:) And the stain part…no, I dont want to try that, even if u vouch for it

Shn
Sig on March 19th, 2007 11:58 pm

Hey Gini, welcome… try this for sure, it is really good… I wouldn’t call Siv the world’s best either but he is pretty good.

HP, thanks… I don’t like the lychee liquer all that much, somehow it tastes more artificial sweetened than the lychee drink martini.

Swapna, if u love to eat lychees you would love the martini too.

Jason, I’ve been very interested in the vodka infusing technique ever since I went to Twist in Belltown and tasted their house infused vodkas. You should post the technique sometime on your blog, I apologize if it is already there, I haven’t finished going through ur entire blog yet, there is a lot of stuff there.

Shn, you should try this, unlike wine making, u get instant gratification, the reason I’ve never tried making wine. :).
Nandita on March 20th, 2007 4:32 am

Like that a lot! And the litchee flavour is so subtle and yet makes its presence felt…like the Litchee icecream at Naturals icecream of Bombay…yum yum…so the mixologist is in action finally!
Amy on March 20th, 2007 6:37 pm

This cocktail has captured Steven’s attention (an aspiring mixologist-to-be) since we both love lychee fruit. Thanks!
Sushma on March 21st, 2007 4:28 am

well I love Lychee tooo and that iced Lychee juice is a sure relief during hot summer days..
Jyothsna on March 21st, 2007 7:37 am

Wow, this sounds interesting. Lychees are wonderful, but no one dare spill it on my couch :):)!!
Freya and Paul on March 21st, 2007 2:20 pm

What a beautiful food blog (first visit)! I love the Martini, I wish our cocktail cabinet was always well stocked but it never stays around that long!!!
ros on March 21st, 2007 3:48 pm

Yikes! Just came to your blog from Freya’s and I’m finding this a little creepy. Your blog’s name and format bear a striking resemblance to mine. We must think alike! Our pictures even look a bit similar.

Anyway, now I’ve gotten over my initial shock I will actually read some more of your entries. I love lychees too … and martinisalthough I’m usually more of a gin martini person.
Sig on March 21st, 2007 4:28 pm

Ros, I just discovered your blog today too, from freya’s… I saw the blog name in her blogroll, and went there to check it out… I had the same reaction :), I was reading your posts when I got your comment… Long lost sisters?
Toni on March 21st, 2007 11:57 pm

I just discovered this blog. I LOVE lychees! I used to dislike them as a kid, because the only ones we got were the canned ones. Like any canned fruit, it loses something in translation.

I think I’d probably love this with they lychee infused vodka. That sounds like it would be over the top!

Interestingly enough, my eldest brother did a blind taste test on me and my sister using Grey Goose, Kettle One and an inexpensive potato vodka we got at Trader Joe’s. In the blind taste test, the potato vodka won - hands down. Try it sometime. You might be surprised. You can always pour it into your empty Grey Goose bottle for the psychological effect.
bee (jugalbandi.info) on March 22nd, 2007 12:05 am

i love martinis too, but with gin. this one sounds really good.
Anonymous on August 24th, 2007 6:21 pm

Have you heard of a Lychee flavored vodka? I went to Hawaii this summer and had my first ever Lychee Martini with Kai Lychee flavored vodka. It was so good. Admittedly I havn’t tried it any other way, but I thought it was pretty good.
Sig on August 25th, 2007 6:38 am

oh yum, I’ve never had lychee flavored vodka, but I’m sure it’d have tasted divine!!
Anonymous on September 6th, 2007 11:26 pm

It honestly does.. It even smells like pure Lychee!!! I now buy Kai Lychee vodka off-line and like to drink it on the rocks. Its soooo good!!!
Anonymous on September 25th, 2007 7:43 pm

My new favorite is Kai Lychee Vodka chilled. It is an instant lychee martini. I just picked some up at BevMo in CA…it is to die for.
Victoria on December 11th, 2007 5:34 pm

Lychee is the best fruit and good god I nearly died when I found that some vodka company had created a GOOD lychee flavored vodka. No more must i have to mess around with syrups or making my own lychee vodka. Shake and pour.