Lychee and Elderflower Martini
A smooth, floral martini shaken hard with ice and strained into a chilled glass, built from vodka, lychee liqueur, St-Germain and the syrup straight from the tin. It takes the elderflower note of a Hugo spritz and the perfume of a lychee martini and puts them in one glass, with no soda at all. Whole lychees on a pick finish it, and the whole thing takes five minutes.
Two drinks have held my attention for years. The Hugo spritz, for the way elderflower softens everything it touches, and the lychee martini, for that perfumed sweetness that tastes like nothing else on a drinks list. For a long time I ordered one or the other depending on the mood of the evening, never quite able to choose between them.
So I stopped choosing. Vodka, lychee liqueur, St-Germain and a generous pour of the syrup drained from the tin of lychees, shaken hard until the tin aches to hold, then strained into a glass that has been sitting in the freezer. No soda, nothing to lift it or thin it out. What comes out is very cold and very smooth, pale and slightly cloudy from the shake, with whole lychees waiting on a pick across the rim.
It has become the drink I make when the good glasses come out. One is generous. Two is a decision.
Serves: 1 · Category: Drinks
Ingredients
Lychee and Elderflower Martini
- 60 ml vodka
- 60 ml lychee liqueur
- 30 ml St-Germain elderflower liqueur
- 60 ml lychee syrup, drained from a tin of lychees
- Ice, for shaking
- 2 to 3 whole lychees, to serve
Method
- Put the cocktail glass in the freezer while you gather everything else. Ten minutes is enough.
- Fill a cocktail shaker two thirds with ice. Pour in the vodka, lychee liqueur, St-Germain and lychee syrup.
- Shake hard for fifteen seconds, until the outside of the shaker frosts over and is uncomfortable to hold.
- Strain into the chilled glass. Thread the whole lychees onto a cocktail pick, rest it across the rim, and serve straight away.
Serving Suggestion
This one belongs with something salty to balance the sweetness, so put out Whipped Feta with Lemon, Honey and Olive Oil with warm bread torn from a Simple Rosemary Focaccia, and a bowl of Crispy Spiced Pumpkin Seeds within reach of the glasses. If you are building a longer drinks table, Madeira Poncha Two Ways sits well alongside it and gives everyone a second choice.
Notes
The syrup from the tin is doing real work here, so drain it into a jar and keep it in the fridge. One tin gives you enough syrup and lychees for three or four drinks.
Lychee liqueurs vary a lot in sweetness between brands. Shake, taste, and pull the syrup back to 45 ml next time if yours is on the sweeter side.
Shake with plenty of ice rather than a few cubes. A full shaker chills faster and dilutes less, which is the difference between a martini that is cold and one that is watery.
Vodka is the right choice for a clean base, but a light gin works if you want the botanicals to come forward and the drink to read a little drier.
The Grace Table Tip
Thread the lychees onto their picks and set them on a small plate in the fridge before you start shaking. The drink is at its best in the first two minutes after it hits the glass, and hunting for picks while it warms is the one thing that undoes all the work of a hard shake.
For more than one drink, multiply the four liquids and mix them together in a jug ahead of time without ice, then keep it in the fridge. Shake each round to order with fresh ice so every glass arrives properly cold.