For the second straight season I’ve been gifted with an excess of fresh lychee. Thanks to a cousin in Wahiawa, an uncle in Hilo and a family friend with a friend with a tree, my cup runneth over.
I’m not complaining (in fact, if anyone wants to give me more, I’ll take ’em). But I do have enough to require consumption strategies beyond peel-and-eat.
Last summer I made lychee sorbet; this year my brother suggested: booze. Specifically, lychee-infused vodka, which can be used to make quality martinis, or whatever kind of fruity cocktail you like.
It’s easy, it’s fun and the results could start you on a path of experimentation, not just with cocktail recipes, but with other infusions. Various clear liquors, such as gin, can be your base, and other fruits (or vegetables and herbs) can be used as flavoring. Cucumbers and gin make a classic bartender’s mix.
NOT MUCH of a recipe is required, so I’m going to give you general directions, followed with ideas for using the byproducts — the booze and the boozy leftover fruit.
First of all, don’t make too much. Your first batch could be as small as a half-dozen fruit and 1 cup of liquor, just to see if you like it.
I use a 1-quart Mason jar, filling it a third full with peeled, seeded lychee, then filling the jar with vodka. Your container should be glass with an airtight seal. Fill it near the top so there is almost no air inside.
Let it sit on the counter away from heat or direct sunlight for three to five days, taking a sip now and then to decide when to quit. Let it sit too long and it could go bitter. (If your kitchen is hot you can refrigerate your jar, but it will take longer to infuse.)
Remove fruit and strain the liquor well. And then … drink up …
VODKA LYCHEE MARTINI
By Betty Shimabukuro
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) lychee-infused vodka
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) dry vermouth
- Squeeze of lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 1 dropper grapefruit bitters (or other flavor)
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker or jar with ice. Shake, then strain into martini glass.
Garnish with thin slice of lime and/or fresh lychee.
PART TWO: Let’s do something with the fruit you took out of your liquor jar. Lychee is just too valuable to waste.
A simple idea is to make an ice cake, which you can simply eat, or float in another cocktail. After separating the fruit from your liquor, throw it in a blender and puree.
Then proceed:
BOOZY LYCHEE ICE CAKE
By Betty Shimabukuro
- 1 cup vodka-infused lychee puree
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
>> Sugar syrup:
Combine puree with milk, then add 1/2 cup syrup and taste. Gradually add more until it reaches a sweetness you like.
Pour mixture into an ice cube tray or small cups. Freeze until solid.
>> To make syrup: Dissolve sugar in water, stirring until water is clear.
Makes 6 to 8 Dixie-cup servings, depending on amount of sugar syrup added.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Write By Request, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.
