CLASSIC COCKTAIL · 1980–1999
Lychee Martini
Vodka, lychee liqueur and lychee juice: the 1990s Asian-fusion Martini, floral and sweet.
1990sDisputed classificationNeeds verification
The Lychee Martini came out of the Asian-fusion restaurant boom of the 1990s, where lychee — canned, and therefore available all year — was already on the dessert menu. Vodka carries it, lychee liqueur deepens it and the juice keeps it drinkable; a whole lychee in the glass is the usual garnish. It has no single author, and it sits in the disputed part of this archive for that reason: a bar standard with no documented origin.
- Japanese-leaning bars later added sake and shiso versions, and the Saketini borrowed the same frame.
- Lychee Martini with sake
- Lychee Collins
- Saketini
“The drink depends on the syrup in the can as much as on the fruit itself.”
THE RECIPEFloral, sweet and soft
Ingredients
- Vodka45 ml
- Lychee liqueur15 ml
- Lychee juice45 ml
- Lime juice10 ml
- Lycheeto garnish
Method
Shake the liquids with ice, fine-strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lychee.
Coupe · no ice · lychee