Make a restaurant quality frozen lychee martini at home with just a few ingredients! It's quick, cool, and dare I say better than the Nobu lychee martini?
My girlfriends and I live for a good lychee martini and I decided to apply pressure with this easy frozen version. Let's get into how to make flirty martinis at home!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my lychee mojito and lychee green tea, too!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy Preparation - Freeze your lychee ahead of time then just toss everything in the blender and pulse.
Delicate Fruity Flavor - This frozen lycheetini tastes just like the original so you'll get sweet fruity notes similar to mandarin orange or elderflower. This is a drink for the girls who get it!
No Special Equipment - All you need is a blender and a shot glass. No frozen cocktail machine or fancy tools so you can turn up happy hour at home easily.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my easy dirty gin martini, pickletini cocktail and creamy matcha martini, too!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Lychees - Use frozen lychees (aka lychee nut) from a can or jar plus a bit of their syrup to make this recipe as easy as possible. Alternatively, you can use fresh lychees and lychee juice or simple syrup.
Dry Vermouth - This is a core martini ingredient but optional here in the event you want a sweeter tasting lycheetini. Don't substitute with sweet vermouth as that will change the color and flavor drastically!
Ice - Use cubed ice for the smoothest blend and frosty texture. Pebble ice is too small to make a good frozen drink and bigger chunks take too long to break down which winds up making the cocktail watery.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Vodka or Gin - The classic lychee martini is made with vodka but can easily be substituted with gin depending on your preference. I'm like my lychee martini with gin so that's what I recommend.
Liqueur - Dry vermouth adds a savory, almost briney flavor to a lychee martini. If you want to make a sweet lychee martini, substitute with vermouth bianco, lychee liqueur or elderflower liqueur.
Citrus - I use lime in this drink but you can get similar flavor results with lemon or sour orange.
If you're a gin drinker, think you'll like my Cherry Gin Smash and Floral Gin Garden cocktail. And vodka lovers should get into my Cranberry Apple Spice Mule!
How to Make a Lychee Martini Frozen
Step One: Place a sprig of mint leaves into the middle of a lychee then thread a cocktail pick or toothpick through both.
Step Two: Add frozen lychee drink ingredients to a blender.
Pro Tip: Freeze the lychees ahead of time for at least two hours. They keep in the freezer for up to a year so I recommend keeping them on hand so you can whip up this drink whenever the mood strikes!
Step Three: Pulse until smooth and uniform with slushie consistency.
Step Four: Pour your homemade frozen lychee martini into a glass and add garnish.
Pro Tip: Place your serving glass in the freezer to chill while making the drink for extra presentation points and to help keep it frozen as you sip!
Enjoy this homemade frozen cocktail responsibly and check out my easy frozen watermelon mint lemonade, lychee mocktail and virgin piña colada slushie for non-alcoholic treats to try next!
Frequently Asked Questions
For a similar flavor profile, try sherry, sake, or amaro. For a sweeter drink, use lychee or elderflower liqueur or leave it out altogether.
Yes. I find the texture is best when I use frozen lychee and ice, however, you can use fresh lychee and increase the amount of ice to get a similar frosty consistency.
Definitely. Use your favorite zero-proof spirit to make this a frozen lychee mocktail.
No, I don't recommend making frozen cocktail ahead of time as they will melt and lose their slushy consistency.
More Favorite Fruity Cocktail Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy this easy lychee martini frozen soon and very soon--and responsibly! And sharing is caring so be sure to pin the frozen gin martini recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Frozen Lychee Martini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lychee optional garnish
- 1 sprig fresh mint optional garnish
- 1 cup frozen lychees about eight lychees
- ¾ cup ice
- 2 ounces gin or vodka
- 1 ounce lychee syrup or simple syrup
- ½ ounce dry vermouth or vermouth bianco for a sweeter cocktail
- ½ ounce lime juice
Instructions
- Place coupe glass in freezer or fridge to chill.
- (Optional) Place a sprig of mint leaves in the middle of a lychee nut then skewer with a cocktail pick or toothpick. Set aside.
- Add frozen lychees, ice, gin, syrup, vermouth, and lime juice to blender then cover and pulse until smooth and uniform with slushie consistency.
- Pour frozen lychee martini into chilled coupe glass and add garnish. Enjoy responsibly.
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