🍸 Lychee Martini

Belvedere Vodka, clarified lychee juice, rose water & a lime oil mist

Vodka
30 min
Stirred
Martini Glass
~22%
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Ingredients
  • 60ml Belvedere Vodka
  • 30ml clarified lychee juice (see tips)
  • 10ml dry vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
  • 5ml rose water
  • Expressed lime zest — for mist
  • Ice for mixing
  • A single lychee & edible flower to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    Clarify lycheeQuick clarification: blend 10 lychees with 100ml water. Add 1g agar-agar powder per 100ml liquid, heat to 90°C, then rapidly chill over ice bath. Strain through fine muslin. The liquid will be crystal-clear. Or use canned lychee juice strained through a coffee filter.
  2. 2
    Chill glassFreeze martini glass for at least 20 minutes.
  3. 3
    StirCombine vodka, clarified lychee, vermouth, and rose water in a mixing glass with ice. Stir 40 seconds.
  4. 4
    StrainFine-strain into the frozen glass.
  5. 5
    FinishExpress a lime zest over the surface — press and twist the peel to mist the oil. Drop the peel or discard. Add a single lychee and a small edible flower.

About This Cocktail

The clarification of lychee juice (removing the cloud using bentonite clay or agar-agar fining) is a technique borrowed from fine wine production. It removes tannins and sediment while preserving flavour compounds, producing a crystal-clear juice with a cleaner, more intense lychee character. Ambassadors Clubhouse applies this to the classic lychee martini format — which has been served at Asian-influenced bars since the 1990s — and elevates it with a rose water finish and lime oil mist (expressed lime zest spray) that transforms the drink from a fruity martini into something genuinely sophisticated.

Variations

Cucumber Lychee MartiniAdd 2 thin cucumber slices to the mixing glass — the cucumber-lychee-rose combination is ethereal
Lychee GimletReplace vermouth with extra lime juice and increase syrup — shaken version, more citrus-forward, less elegant but more approachable
Yuzu Lychee MartiniAdd 5ml yuzu juice to the mix — the Japanese citrus and lychee create an extraordinary floral-citrus combination
Bartender Tips

The clarification step sounds intimidating but the coffee filter version is very easy — simply strain canned lychee juice (which is already relatively clear) through a coffee filter into a measuring cup. Leave it dripping for 20 minutes for maximum clarity. The dry vermouth (Dolin Blanc's off-dry, light floral style is ideal) adds body without sweetness. Do not use a sweet vermouth.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse, Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Spirit
Vodka (Belvedere)
Method
Stirred
ABV
~22%
Vodka Guide All 69 Indian Cocktails Indian Mocktails (87) Cocktails A–Z
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Address
Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Style
Indian cocktail bar & lounge
Accolades
Midtown's standout Indian cocktail destination

Ambassadors Clubhouse brings an aristocratic sensibility to Indian cocktail culture — drinks that draw from the era of Indian diplomatic gatherings, colonial-era clubs, and Mughal court traditions. The menu is sophisticated without being austere, featuring regional Indian ingredients in cocktails designed to be talked about as much as drunk.

Visit ambassadorsclubhousenyc.com