Lychee Is The Sweet Addition Your Tequila Is Missing

Considering the range of Margarita flavors alone — from strawberry to mango to grapefruit — tequila has been partnered up with many fruits in its time. Whatever type of tequila you're talking about, whether it's non-aged or aged, tequila's flavor tends to merge sweet notes like vanilla with spices and fruits like citrus and pear, balancing a silky mouthfeel with a hint of warmth from the alcohol. It's a profile just waiting to be paired with one fruit we haven't seen in a ton of tequila cocktails — yet: lychees.

What you need to know about lychees in order to start brainstorming tequila combos is: These are stone fruits originating in Southeast Asia, though some varieties are grown in the United States today. They've got a rough, bumpy peel, and inside awaits a white fruit with a bit of chewy spring, kind of like a grape without its skin. Lychees are super sweet, with flavors that have been compared to ripe strawberries, oranges, and pears, and there's also an earthy, floral quality. 

Because lychees are, in fact, so sweet, they're no stranger to cocktails in general. Lychee Martinis crafted using an optimal ratio are a popular go-to, in which the lychees' sweetness perfectly tempers the vodka or gin. But it's time for the combo of lychees and tequila to finally get the spotlight. Both have complementary sweetness, along with perfectly contrasting notes like lychees' floral quality versus tequila's spices, which creates a complex yet juicy, easy-drinking finish.

When making drinks with lychee, you can work with fresh fruit, which is in season from May to September, or you can use canned lychees, which are available in Asian grocery stores. To make a drink-ready purée, just mash them up and strain out the pulp. Alternatively, you can use the syrup from the can, buy a lychee syrup from a brand like Monin, or make your own syrup by boiling a pot of water with granulated sugar, throwing in canned or peeled and pitted lychees, and allowing it to cook down.

Once you have your lychee flavor in liquid form, the possibilities are endless. Combine ¾ of an ounce of lychee syrup or purée with ¾ ounce tequila for a sweet, refreshing shot. Or, look to the fruit-flavored frozen Margaritas that have come before. Take, for example, a recipe for a frozen strawberry Margarita. Instead of blending in ½ pound of strawberries, blend in ½ pound of lychees. You can still crush freeze-dried strawberries into the salted rim to mix up fruit aromas. 

Or, take the on-the-rocks route and make this prickly pear Margarita, swapping the ½ ounce prickly pear syrup for ½ ounce of lychee syrup. Lychee doesn't always have to be a substitution, either; it can be a game-changing addition. Pour in ½ ounce of purée or syrup into a classic Tequila Sunrise to sweeten the acidic orange, into a zesty Paloma to round out the tart grapefruit, or let it balance the heat of a spiced Ranch Water.