⚖️ The Lychee Libra

Butterfly pea flower tea, fresh lychee, lemon & sparkling water — Sona NYC

15 min
Floral & Citrusy
Tall glass, colour-change presentation
Sona
0% ABV
Ingredients
  • 120ml butterfly pea flower tea (steep 1 tbsp dried butterfly pea flowers in 200ml boiling water for 10 min, cool completely)
  • 80ml fresh lychee juice (blend and strain 8 fresh or canned lychees)
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 10ml simple syrup
  • Cold sparkling water to top
  • Crushed ice
  • Lychee on a pick & dried butterfly pea flowers to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    BrewSteep butterfly pea flowers in boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool completely — the tea will be deep indigo blue.
  2. 2
    BuildAdd ice to a tall glass.
  3. 3
    Pour teaPour the cooled blue butterfly pea tea over the ice.
  4. 4
    Make juiceCombine lychee juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup separately.
  5. 5
    Pour and watchPour the lychee-lemon mixture slowly over a spoon. The acidic lychee-lemon hits the alkaline blue tea — it transforms immediately from blue to violet to pink. The colour gradient is the presentation.
  6. 6
    TopAdd a dash of sparkling water. Garnish with a lychee and some dried blue flowers.

About This Drink

Sona (meaning 'gold' in Hindi) was one of New York's most photographed restaurants before its closure in June 2026. The Lychee Libra was their most Instagrammed mocktail — the colour change from indigo to rose-violet when lychee juice and lemon hit the butterfly pea tea base was irresistible to their clientele. Butterfly pea flower tea (from Clitoria ternatea, a plant native to Southeast Asia but widely cultivated in South Asia) has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries; its recent adoption in cocktail culture for its colour-changing properties brought it a far wider audience.

Bartender Tips

The colour change happens because butterfly pea tea is naturally pH-sensitive: acidic conditions (lemon, lychee) shift it from blue toward purple and pink. The more acidic the addition, the pinker it goes. For maximum visual effect, pour the lychee mixture very slowly so the gradient is visible before mixing. The drink should be drunk immediately while the two colours are still separate.

Origin
Restaurant
Sona, Flatiron District, New York City (closed June 2026, recipe preserved)
Origin
India / Southeast Asia — butterfly pea flower tea from Thailand, lychee from Bihar
Flavour
Floral & Citrusy · Medium
Related
🍹All 87 MocktailsBrowse all recipes 🇮🇳Indian CocktailsWith alcohol
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Sona Permanently Closed
Address
Flatiron District, New York City (permanently closed June 2026)
Style
Modern Indian fine dining
Accolades
Michelin Bib Gourmand · celebrated cocktail programme before closure

Sona was one of New York City's most acclaimed modern Indian restaurants, co-owned by model and restaurateur Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Known for its nuanced interpretation of Indian cuisine and a cocktail programme that treated Indian ingredients with genuine respect, Sona closed in June 2026. These recipes preserve the drinks that made it special.