14-07-2025
How the Lychee Martini Made a Full-Blown Comeback in D.C.
What's fun, flirty, and decidedly filling up cocktail menus again? You haven't gotten in a time machine, and your eyes (and tastebuds) do not deceive you — the lychee martini is back, and this time, it's better than ever.
The comeback cocktail starring the bobbing fruit from East Asia made its first appearance in the early 1990s – around the same time fusion cuisine seemed to be all the rage in big metropolitan cities. For a time, the lychee martini was almost as ubiquitous as the Cosmopolitan — a not-so-distant cousin popularized not by a cooking trend, but rather, Sex and the City.
The lychee martini itself, however, often bordered on the overly sweet or overly artificial, especially with additions of flavored liqueurs during its early-aughts rise to fame.
'In the late '90s and early-2000s, the lychee martini was the cocktail that stood out for its originality — lightly floral, elegantly sweet, and visually striking, it was the choice for those seeking something different from the usual offerings,' says John Burns, managing partner at Kata. The months-old supper club in Chinatown devotes an entire menu section to the lychee martini, and even hosted a June workshop on constructing the classic.
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's original namesake restaurant in Tribeca, for instance, opened in 1994 with a lychee martini. More than three decades and over 50 international Nobus later, the cocktail remains a constant classic. (Its current $21 price tag in the West End is a bit higher, however.)
Nobu's top-selling lychee martini. Steven Joyce/Nobu
But what is old can become new again, and at restaurants across the DMV, you'll find cocktails and mocktails paying homage to a beverage that once may have seemed to be a mere vestige of the past.
'I think the original appeal of the lychee martini is the fruit itself … that's versatile, floral, tropical and refreshing,' says Alahin Mentado, bar lead at downtown's multi-part Love, Makoto, which recently introduced a lychee martini to its cocktail lineup. And while early versions of the drink may have played up the sugar content of the lychee, more modern interpretations are instead looking to balance the fruit with complimentary flavor profiles and ingredients.
Love, Makoto's lychee martini. Love, Makoto
The beverage is fundamentally very simple; the version at SPIN DC is perhaps the truest to the original: your choice of Grey Goose La Poire or Bombay Premier Cru, plus lychee, St-Germain elderflower, and vermouth.
The quality of ingredients is crucial, as is the 'right amount of citrus – because the lychee itself is already very sweet, the best way to create balance is to play with the level of citrus,' Mentado says. For example, at Kata, the Lycheetini combines HAIKEN Lychee Vodka with freshly squeezed lemon and a dash of dry vermouth to keep the cocktail tart and fresh. Perry's DC also leverages HAIKEN Lychee Vodka, but adds Nigori Sake, Daiyame shochu, and lemon for a boozier take on the beverage.
Modan also has a stronger version, introducing lychee to a Vesper variation featuring Nikka vodka, Roku gin, Giffard lichi-li, St. German, and verjus.
At Nobu, the lychee martini has withstood the test of time, having been a mainstay on the menu since its first appearance in 1994. But that doesn't mean the recipe hasn't changed to reflect imbiber preferences.
'More recently, we blend the lychee fruit with the lychee juice, which adds an aromatic quality that highlights the floral characteristics of the cocktail,' says Ray Perrin, assistant beverage director at Nobu DC.
The same floral notes are prioritized at Silver Lyan, with a 'Press Gang Daisy' begins with a base of Roku gin, 'which brings soft notes of Sakura blossom,' says Sam Nellis, Silver Lyan's senior bartender. 'We then support that with a little elderflower liqueur and Aperol to offer depth and character without betraying the spirit of a traditional lychee martini, while a touch of shochu adds a bright minerality,' he adds. Meanwhile, at Dupont's new Press Club, the Paris, Tokyo cocktail marries vodka with lychee, yuzu sake, lemon, and bergamot for a decidedly botanical finish.
Still other institutions are opting for a more savory take on the cocktail. At chef Tim Ma's new Lucky Danger in Penn Quarter, the Dirty Lychee Martini adds papaya salad brine – which contains fish sauce, sugar, and citric acid – to its blend of lychee and vodka. Meanwhile, nearby Vietnamese restaurant Moon Rabbit offers the 'Ant, Are You Okay?' cocktail takes Siete Misterios mezcal and introduces pink peppercorn alongside lychee shrub (with the option to add ant salt).
The lychee martini at Kata. Kata
Surprisingly, across the board, beverage teams cite popular demand as the primary reason for introducing a lychee martini to the menu. 'Initially, I wanted to avoid having lychee martinis on the menu because they're notoriously too sweet, but we were met with such a demand from our guests that we had to add something unique and fun,' says Sunny Vanavichai, beverage director at Lucky Danger.
And increasingly, the lycheetini seems to be hitting modern classic status, with a nostalgic appeal upped by reimagined sophistication.
'The lychee martini [at KATA] reflects our global influences and desire to offer something distinctive,' says Burns. 'Our goal to turn a familiar cocktail into something unexpected—like a passport stamp in a glass. When our guests leave saying, 'That's the best lychee martini I've ever had,' we know we've accomplished what we set out to do.'
Eater DC
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