It's the season: Lychee

Originating in China, but now grown across South East Asia, the lychee is as distinctive in flavour as it is in looks. Underneath the lychee’s rough exterior lies its exquisite flesh, striking the perfect balance between sweet and tart, floral and fruity. Fun fact: In the 1st century, a special courier service existed to ferry fresh lychees from Guangdong to the Chinese Imperial court, and it’s not hard to understand why.

Due to a short growing season and its tendency to over ripen quickly, fresh lychee is usually only found during certain months in Asian regions, making its flavour all the more exotic. A shame, because the lychee is right at home among cocktails. Pairing well with other tropical flavours like mint, citrus or coconut, it also plays well with an array of liquors. Gin, vodka, cachaça and sake make great partners for a lychee cocktail. Ready to try your hand at some lychee infused creations? Get started with our Le Fruit de MONIN Lychee, perfect for mocktails, cocktails, smoothies and more. Here are some recipes to get you started.