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Yes, I’m teaching you how to make Nobu’s famous Lychee Martini at home! It’s a $24 martini you can shake together in 5 minutes — I’ve taken the original recipe and adapted it for home mixologists. All you need is 3-ingredients and a pinch of salt (yes, that’s the secret ingredient!) for an elegant, floral and fruity drink without the usual price tag.
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why You Need To Try This Martini Recipe
- There are lychee martini recipes, and then there is my version of Nobu’s lychee martini recipe. With just three ingredients plus the secret ingredient — a pinch of fine sea salt — this martini is fruity, floral, elegant and perfectly balanced, without the $24 price tag.
- I’ve made this recipe to make just one martini so it can be easily scaled, either to serve two for happy hour at home of before an at-home date night, or four as a pre-dinner drink for guests if you’re really looking to impress!
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What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- A pinch of salt is what takes this lychee martini to the next level, but the drink should never taste “salty.” I’ve found that adding just a tiny pinch of salt suppresses bitterness and makes the lychee and elderflower taste rounder and more expensive. It’s the difference between a lychee martini and a Nobu lychee martini.
- Make sure your ingredients are chilled before you start. Yes shaking them with ice keeps things nice and cold, but I’ve found it does make all the difference to getting a nice cold martini. I’ve also found that St Germain discolors with age which throws the flavor off a little, and you’ll slow this process down by keeping the open bottle in the refrigerator.
- Chill your glasses too. Most of us don’t have room in the freezer to chill a couple of coupe glasses, so instead fill the glasses with crushed ice or ice water while you mix the cocktail, and then throw away the ice just before you pour to get it nice and frosty!
Ingredients
Lychee juice – The syrup from a can of lychees works beautifully — it’s what most bars actually use! Use one of the lychee as a garnish.
Vodka – Use Ketel One if you’re being faithful to the original, but realistically any unflavored vodka will work.
St-Germain elderflower liqueur – Again, you want St-Germain to be faithful to the original Nobu lychee martini recipe, but if you have another brand in your home bar, use it!
Fine sea salt – A pinch of salt is key to a well balanced drink, but it should never taste salty. Always use sea salt in drinks, as table salt might add a metallic flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short cocktails like a martini where you shake the ingredients with ice before straining are best made just before serving. Which is why I’m so glad this one is ready in under 5 minutes!
Most grocery stores carry canned lychees (look in the international aisle if they’re not with the other canned fruit), or head to an Asian grocer. They’re also easy to find online!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Lychee Martini (Nobu-Style)
Equipment
- martini or coupe glass
- Cocktail shaker with a built in strainer
- Fine mesh strainer
- cocktail pick for the garnish
Ingredients
The Drink
- 2 ounces lychee juice the syrup from a can of lychees works beautifully — it’s what most bars actually use
- 1 ½ ounces vodka Ketel One if you’re being faithful to the original – shot glass size
- ¾ ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur half shot glass
- 1 small pinch fine salt about 1/16 teaspoon
For Serving
- 1 canned lychee on a cocktail pick
Instructions
- Put a martini or coupe glass in the freezer while you work — or fill it with ice water or crushed ice and set it aside.
- Add the lychee juice, vodka, St-Germain, and salt to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, seal, and shake hard for a full 15 seconds, until the shaker is frosty and almost painful to hold. Giving it a nice long shake matters here: it dissolves the salt completely and gets the drink properly ice-cold.
- Empty your chilled glass, then strain your martini through the shaker's built-in strainer and into a fine mesh strainer held over the glass. That second strain is what makes it silky instead of slushy — no ice shards, no pulp that may have been hanging around from the lychee can!
- Drop a lychee in on its pick into the glass as a garnish, and serve immediately.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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