With no official recipe for the Lychee Martini, the sweet and floral drink is often open to interpretation, and can vary greatly from bar to bar. This balanced and bright variation, from bartender Tony Del Pino, combines either vodka or gin, lychee purée, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice.
When the Lychee Martini emerged in the 1990s, it was part of the ‘Tini trend that helped catapult the Appletini and Cosmopolitan. The drink seemingly popped up overnight in every Asian-fusion restaurant across the country. Though its exact origins are unclear, two New York City spots are often credited: Japanese sake bar Decibel, which used a sake base, and Korean restaurant Clay, where both lychee liqueur and juice were combined.
A cocktail comeback
Once the craft cocktail revival hit in the early and mid-2000s, Lychee Martinis seemingly all but disappeared. But in recent years, the drink has made a comeback.
By the 2020s, bartenders and drinkers were ready to have fun again, and menus followed. In this new era, nostalgia for drinks is less about pre-Prohibition speakeasy vibes and spirit-forward classics, and more about the carefree cheesiness of the 1980s, ’90s, and early aughts.
Now that we are on the other side of the cocktail revival, rules have been kicked to the curb, and there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure drink; there’s zero shame in sipping on a Midori Sour or a sugar-dusted Lemon Drop just for the fun of it. And people are rediscovering the simple delights of a well-made Lychee Martini.
Why the Lychee Martini works
Del Pino’s Lychee Martini was created while bartending at Lulu Kitchen and Bar in Sag Harbor, New York and though he’s left for Las Vegas, the drink lives on as a regularly requested, off-menu cocktail. “It’s one of those cocktails that, when executed well, is tasty,” says Del Pino. “You don’t need high-level techniques or a thousand ingredients to make a delicious beverage.”
This recipe, adapted from Del Pino’s original, isn’t the overly sweet ‘90s syrup bomb you might remember. “I find this cocktail to be too sweet in many places,” says Del Pino. “A few high-quality ingredients, along with flavors that provide balance, [are] all that is needed.”
This Lychee Martini is floral, lightly fruity, and not too sweet, and leans on lychee purée instead of canned lychee syrup, which gives the drink a fresh and balanced flavor. Lillet Blanc and fresh lemon juice help offset the lychee’s sweetness and provide necessary acidity and complexity.
Del Pino suggests garnishing this cocktail with a whole lychee fruit, but a grapefruit twist is a great alternative if lychees are not available.
Dining and Cooking