The Best Lychee Martini Recipe

Your friends will think you went to bartending school after shaking up this lychee martini for them. It’s hard to make a martini, but this recipe makes it easy with just a four simple ingredients. This lychee martini is so good that it’s boderline dangerous. 

Not to knock my credibility, but rarely do I make a martini at home and think, “Wow! This is really great!” It’s typically too strong or too sweet. But this recipe will make you question if you ever need to leave the house for a proper lychee martini ever again. With a lime, canned lychees, vodka, vermouth, and a good shaker, you’ll be slinging martinis for your friends at home all night.

While these lychee martinis can be served for any occasion, they make a great pairing for Asian cuisine, whether you’re ordering Chinese takeout for a crowd or making your own hand rolls. They also go great on their own before a big night out, but be warned that they are strong.

Canned lychees in syrup

Without lychees in this drink, you just have a dry martini with some lime on your hands. Lychees in canned syrup are crucial to making this recipe. A can is important because the syrup in the can holds all the flavor — it’s like a built-in simple syrup that’s already made for you. Lychee juice won’t cut it. 

Each 20 oz can of lychees has about 14 lychees in it that you can use for a garnish, but you’ll need about 2 cans if you’re looking to make 14 martinis because of the syrup.

The secret: the right amount of ice

People forget the most important ingredient to a martini: ice. So, if you don’t have an ice machine at home, make sure to refill that ice tray in the freezer before you attempt to make one. 

The ice dilutes the strength of the liquor and ensures each martini is served cold. While there isn’t a magic number of ice cubes, the more ice, the better, so fill as much of the shaker with ice as you can.

Gin or vodka?

Vodka is the best for a lychee martini because it can let the lychee flavor shine. You could use gin, but the flavor profile might compete with the lychee even if you use a London Dry Gin like Tanqueray or Beefeater.

Shaking your martini

Shake your martini in a cocktail shaker. My preferred type of shaker is a Boston shaker, which is just two metal tin cups that you can close shut together. The fancier-looking ones with a built-in strainer often spill. A Boston shaker creates a vacuum when you close the two cups or tins together, letting you get a good shake in with no spills. 

You’ll know your martini is ready to be served after shaking when cold condensation forms on the outside of the tin. It should feel ice-cold.

A standard Boston shaker is 28 oz and holds enough for four lychee martinis. You’ll want to fill the shaker about halfway with ice.

Serving your martini

For the perfect presentation, place martini or coupe glasses in the freezer as you prepare the lychee martinis. This will make sure your martini is extra cold and delicious. If you’re low on freezer space, you can fill the glasses with ice cubes.

Garnish the top of your martini with lychees. A simple toothpick as a skewer will do the trick.

Batches of four martinis

Because ice is so crucial to the recipe, you’ll need to shake the martinis before serving. This isn’t a freezer-door recipe where you can make these ahead of a party and let your guests pour themselves. 

Luckily, you can make a batch of four martinis in a 28 oz Boston shaker. Juice your limes ahead of time for a less stressful cocktail making experience. You can keep lime juice in the fridge for 1-2 days before the party.

If you’re making four martinis at a time, here are the measurements:

And here is the real recipe for a single serving:

Serve ice-cold and enjoy!

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