How to Make Lychee Liqueur

Have you ever wondered how to make lychee liqueur? Lychee liqueur is a specialty product that not all liquor stores will have on hand. Use it in your own Lychee Martini!

Use your lychee liqueur for a lychee martini.
Use your lychee liqueur for a lychee martini.

Making this liqueur is easy, it just takes some time. While you’ll get the best results if you let the liqueur distill for a month, you can use the liqueur right after you make it if need be.

If you don’t want to make your own liqueur and have a day to wait for your Martini, order a lychee syrup and add it to your drink instead from Andronico’s!

How to make lychee liqueur? It's easy! it only requires the ingredients shown here.
How to make lychee liqueur? It’s easy! it only requires the ingredients shown here.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe is quite straightforward and simple.

  • Vodka: Any clear alcohol will work for this liqueur, but I prefer to make it with vodka. It seems to make the liqueur taste less muddled and the flavor of lychees can really permeate vodka well.
  • Lemon: The zest of a lemon will brighten the vodka and lychees.
  • Can of Lychees: We’ll be using an entire can of lychees for this recipe, juice of the lychees included. A can of lychees will add a bit of sugar and help with the flavoring process of the liqueur.

How to Make Lychee Liqueur

I used a clean jar that I sanitized for the liqueur to distill the vodka in the fridge. You can also use a Mason jar instead if you have one on hand. Make sure to give your jar a good shake every week or so until I’m ready to use it. After shaking, place back into the fridge. Also, do a taste test to make sure it’s properly distilled before using. If it tastes off or smells weird, discard. It’s possible your jar wasn’t fully sanitized or you possibly got a bad can of lychees. If it tastes weird or smells off, it’s best to toss it and start over.

When the liqueur is ready to use, take a cheesecloth and strain out the zest and the lychees. You can still use the lychees for garnish if you are going to make a drink that night or you can put the lychees back into the liqueur. The liqueur is shelf-stable and can be stored next to your other alcohols.

This is the perfect recipe to use with a lychee martini or any other fruity spring cocktail that needs a bright sweet note to it. Use this homemade lychee liqueur recipe in place of a regular simple syrup.

After making your liqueur, you’ll be ready to make a Lychee Martini!

Use your lychee liqueur for a lychee martini.
Use your lychee liqueur for a lychee martini.

If you don’t want to make your own liqueur and have a day to wait for your Martini, order a lychee syrup and add it to your drink instead from Andronico’s!

How to Make Lychee Liqueur

5 from 4 votes
Recipe by Sarah Course: Easy Recipes, The Liquor Cabinet
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Calories

70

kcal

Ingredients

Directions

  • Prep your ingredients. Zest your lemon and measure out the vodka.
  • Add. Add one cup of the lychee syrup from the can to the bottle you will be storing the liqueur in. Take the lychee fruits and give each one a squeeze. This will release more of their oils as well as give more surface area for the alcohol to infuse.
  • Continue adding. Place the vodka into the jar with the fruit and syrup.
  • Zest. Zest the lemon and add it to the jar. Give the jar a shake and place into a cool dark place for a week.
  • Taste test. Test the liqueur after a week. It should taste sweet with a bit of a bite.
  • Strain. When it is infused to your liking, strain the fruit and the zest out of the jar with cheesecloth and store the liqueur back into the jar. The alcohol will act as a perservative and can be stored with your other alcohols.

After making the lychee liqueur it will go into the fridge for about a month to infuse.
After making the lychee liqueur it will go into the fridge for about a month to infuse.

Have you ever made lychee liqueur before? Tell me in the comments below if you tried this recipe and how it turned out.

3 Comments

  1. I tried this process and the liquor was just too strong for me. Is there anything I can do to make it sweeter and more palatable?

    • Something you can do is add granulated white sugar to the mix along with all the juice from the can of lychees. It will help sweeten the mixture. Let me know if that helps!

  2. Pingback: Sarah Dickens (sarah5001) | Pearltrees

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