Laura Zastrow
The lychee martini.
The lychee martini is ubiquitous on cocktail menus at Asian restaurants, and for good reason. Sweet, fruity and a little bit exotic, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with a fun garnish opportunity (seriously, lychees look exactly like eyeballs).
Is it a little lowbrow? Possibly even faux chic? Not necessarily. At Red Sushi, bartenders have created an unmistakably refined version of the classic with Soho lychee liqueur, sake, lime juice and sparkling wine.
The result is light, refreshing and pleasantly effervescent, balanced nicely by the dry sensation of the sake and the fruitiness of the lychee, which tastes a bit like a pear-grape-cherry hybrid. It’s surprisingly complex, floral and not too sweet. The original recipe has been tweaked a few times over the years, but the drink has been on the menu since Red’s inception. It remains the restaurant’s most popular cocktail.
I used to call the drink my guilty pleasure (one of my friends actually nicknamed the cocktail “Middleton soccer mom juice”). But with its superior ingredients and lower alcohol by volume compared to other cocktails, this version of the lychee martini is elegant, quaffable and wonderfully guilt-free.
