Instructions
- Combine sake, vodka, and lychee syrup (from canned lychees) in a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake vigorously for 12 seconds.
- Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Thread a canned lychee onto a cocktail pick and balance across the rim as garnish.
📜 History
The lychee martini became a popular order at Japanese and pan-Asian restaurants in the early 2000s, typically built on vodka and lychee liqueur. Bartenders later began substituting sake for some or all of the vodka, finding that sake's natural sweetness and floral quality complemented lychee's perfumed notes. The sake-based version became a fixture at sake bars and Asian-fusion cocktail menus across the United States and the United Kingdom.
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