Houstonist Bartender: Lychee Martini

Houstonist has been a fan of martinis since Dad taught us how to make them at age 12 so that he wouldn't have to. We have always believed that a martini should consist of only the gin or vodka variety and that the label should not be applied to fru fru cocktails served in martini glasses. Whatever your stance on what constitutes a martini, you need to try the cocktail below because it is flat out good.

Lychee Martini

+ 1/4 cup sugar
+ 1/4 cup water
+ 1 cup drained canned lychees
+ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
+ 6 oz Skyy vodka
+ 1 1/2 oz Cointreau

Heat sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then pour into a heatproof bowl. Cool this mixture by place thins bowl inside of a large bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until syrup is cold, about 3 minutes.

Purée lychees (15 to 20, from a 16- to 20-oz can) with sugar syrup and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Be certain to press hard on solids and then discarding them. Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes and add lychee purée, vodka, and Cointreau. Shake 15 seconds and strain into martini glasses.

Garnish with one of the remaining lychees to add some flair.

This recipe is a bit more work than some others that you can find out on the WebOrNet. But, in the spirit of good things don't come easy, this version of the lychee martini rises above.

Houstonist would like to thank reader Doris Ding for suggesting that we check out this version of the drink presented by Epicurious, which was the definitely the best version we tried.

Have a drink we should spread to the masses? Send it along [jason at houstonist dot com], and we just may post it after some extensive testing.

Don't be a dumbass. Drink responsibly or take a cab.

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Photo: flickr user Silly Jilly.