Lychee Margarita

The Lychee Margarita is an absolutely delicious twist on the classic margarita! Lychee fruit has a delicious rich flavor that goes perfectly with the tequila and lime. This drink is super easy to make and tastes amazing on a hot afternoon!

This is a perfect summertime drink since the fruit flavors are so refreshing. Lychee is a tropical fruit that is sometimes hard to find in stores here in the US, but you can usually find a can of lychee or lychee puree, so that's what I used in the recipe.

Searching for a summer margarita? Another recipe to try is the raspberry flavored Chambord Margarita, definitely recommended for berry lovers! Or, try out the Prickly Pear Margarita, the Sage Margarita or the tasty Pineapple Coconut Margarita for more of a tropical twist.

For more lychee recipes, try out a Lychee Gin Martini, or a non-alcoholic mojito style Lychee Mocktail! This tasty Grapefruit Peach Vodka Cocktail also uses a bit of lychee liqueur.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to gather up to make this drink:

• Tequila - tequila blanco works great in this drink! I used Cantera Negra silver. Espolon blanco tequila is another great choice.
• Lychee liqueur - I used Giffard brand Litchi-li liqueur, which is very tasty and has a lot of sweetness. Another great brand is Soho lychee liqueur.
• Lychee puree - Real brand lychee puree is delicious and easy to use. Be sure to keep it in the refrigerator after you open it.
• Lime juice - brings tartness and a fresh lime flavor to this margarita.
• Garnish - (all optional)
  • Fine grain salt for the glass rim
  • Lime slice
  • Whole lychee fruit (I used Dynasty brand canned lychees)

Substitutions

If you don't have one of the ingredients, here are some substitutions you can make:

• Tequila - try using gin or vodka if you don't have any tequila blanco. You could also use a tequila reposado in this drink.
• Lychee Liqueur - if you can't find a lychee liqueur, try using St Germain elderflower liqueur or another fruit flavor, like peach or mango. You could also just go back to a classic margarita ingredient, Triple Sec, which is an orange liqueur.
• Puree - if you can't find the lychee puree, you can make your own puree by blending canned lychees along with a little of the canning syrup. Or, try just muddling around three lychees in a cocktail shaker, and substitute in some simple syrup or agave nectar.
• Lime - try using lemon instead, or use packet of True Lime.

Variations

Here are some tasty variations on this drink:

• Non Alcoholic Lychee Margarita - if you want to try this drink without alcohol, you can omit the lychee liqueur and try using a tequila substitute, like Lyre's Agave Blanco. (Also check out the Lychee Mojito Mocktail for an alcohol free mint and lime drink!)
• Spicy Lychee Margarita - try adding a little jalapeno syrup to the mix, or add a couple of slices of jalapeno to the cocktail shaker for a spicy twist.
• Frozen Lychee Margarita - add all of the ingredients to a blender and fill it with ice. Blend it until smooth to make a tasty frozen cocktail. If you want to keep the drink from separating and give it some more smoothness, add a little bit of xanthan gum.

Equipment

You'll just need a few bar tools to make this the best margarita ever! Grab a cocktail shaker and strainer, a jigger, and a serving glass. (I used one of these gold-rimmed embossed drinking glasses.)

A small dish to hold the rim salt, a knife and cutting board for the lime, and a cocktail pick will also come in handy if you're making all the garnishes.

If you need some new bar tools, definitely check out A Bar Above! You can get 10% off their bar tools using my discount code, LKDrinks. Their products are all really durable, and also can be thrown in the dishwasher when you're done mixing!

Instructions

Start out by prepping your serving glass and making your garnishes. If you cut a slice of fresh lime for the garnish, just use your cut lime to wet the rim of the glass and then dip it in the salt to coat the rim. (Otherwise, you can use a little water to wet the glass rim.)

Set the glass aside while you make the drink.

Pour the lime juice and the lychee liqueur into a cocktail shaker.

Add in the lychee puree and the tequila.

Fill the cocktail shaker with ice, and then shake vigorously, about 15-20 hard shakes.

Fill your serving glass with fresh ice, and strain the drink into the glass.

Add your optional lime slice to the rim of the glass. Then, add a lychee to a cocktail pick and stick it into the glass as well.

Serve and enjoy!

Hint: try to refrigerate all of your ingredients (including the glass!) for about 30 minutes before making the drink. This will keep the drink colder longer, and the ice won't melt as quickly.

Top tip

This margarita recipe would make a great pitcher drink! Just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you want to make, and add about ½ ounce of water per cocktail (since you won't be shaking the drink with ice).

Add all the ingredients to the pitcher and keep it refrigerated until you're ready to serve. You can make it up to an hour in advance of serving.

To serve, just rim your glass with salt, add fresh ice and pour the drink out from the pitcher. Add the optional lime & lychee garnishes if you're using them, and enjoy!