A delicious easy to make lychee mocktail with amazing flavours! Perfect for summer, but can be enjoyed all year round.
This beautiful floral, earthy and light mocktail made with lychee and non-alcoholic gin is the perfect drink for those who love to enjoy cocktails, but want to cut back on the alcohol.
Lychee is such a delicious and delicate fruit that makes fantastic desserts and drinks. In my previous post, I shared how I made this homemade lychee syrup that can be used in so many different ways. This lychee mocktail recipe is one of my favorite ways to use lychee syrup.
Because I love this recipe
- Lychee has a delicious, delicate floral flavor and is super refreshing in drinks.
- This is an easy to make mocktail recipe and can even be adapted as a cocktail!
- Using a non-alcoholic gin spirit adds even more earthy, herbaceous flavors that complement the lychee perfectly.
- Since this lychee mocktail is non-alcoholic, it can be enjoyed any time of the day/week and you don’t have to worry about a hangover, ha!
Why mocktails?
Mocktails have a bad reputation, but these days you can easily get amazing mocktails that are just as good as the real thing less the alcoholic buzz! I love cocktails, but I’m no longer in my twenties and my metabolism isn’t what it used to be! Non-alcoholic spirits still help me enjoy delicious cocktails, even on weeknights, but without consequences the following morning!
Of all the non-alcoholic spirits I’ve tried, my favorite is non-alcoholic gin. The botanicals in the NA gin continue to shine through and complement the drink wonderfully. And lychee is one of the many fruits that pairs so well with gin, non-alcoholic or otherwise.
Ingredients to prepare this lychee mocktail
- Lychee syrup
- Lime (lime juice or lime wedges)
- Canned, drained lychee pieces or fresh lychee (optional, but recommended)
- Non-alcoholic gin of your choice (you can also use a different type of non-alcoholic liqueur of your choice).
- Carbonated or tonic water
Lychee syrup
You can make this mocktail with any lychee syrup. You can buy lychee syrup online. Amazon or cocktail supply websites are good places to check. But my favorite store-bought lychee syrup comes from a boba tea website (linked in the recipe card below).
However, I prefer to make my own homemade lychee syrup! This homemade version is super easy to make because you only need 2 ingredients, canned lychee and sugar.
Homemade lychee syrup tastes better and more natural, bringing out the floral and fruity flavors of the lychee. Store-bought syrup tends to be too sweet and has an artificial flavor that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So the homemade version is perfect for making this lychee mocktail!
How to make lychee mocktail
Prepare the lychee syrup
The first step is to prepare the lychee syrup. Lychee syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or up to 4 months in the freezer. So make sure you prepare it in advance and keep it in the fridge. If the syrup is in the freezer, remember to thaw it properly before using it.
Assemble the mocktail
In a cocktail mixer (shaker or glass), place the lime wedges and muddle them very well to release the juices. Add 2 – 3 pieces of lychee and muddle them together with the lime.
Next, add the lychee syrup, followed by the non-alcoholic gin.
Add ice and stir well to combine and chill the mocktail. Strain into a lowball glass (rock glass). Top the lychee mocktail with ice-cold soda or tonic. If you wish, you can add ice to the cocktail.
Garnish with lime and lychee and serve.
Mix lime with lime juice
For this mocktail you can use lime juice or muddle lime. I prefer to muddle the lime wedges instead. Muddling enhances the flavor of the drink because it releases the essential oils in the lime zest and juices. This adds more complexity to the mocktail.
Other variations of the lychee mocktail
- Swap non-alcoholic gin for regular gin for a delicious lychee cocktail!
- Use tonic instead of seltzer for a lychee-flavored gin and tonic.
- You can add additional flavor to your lychee syrup to make the mocktail taste even more interesting.
- Add 1 ounce of strongly brewed green tea for an elevated cocktail.
- Swap non-alcoholic gin for NA tequila for a fizzy lychee margarita mocktail. Or use NA vodka to give a martini cocktail a twist!
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Lychee Mocktail Recipe (with Gin)
Product: This recipe is for 1 drinking.
Kitchen: East Asian, European, Fusion, Global
Total time: 20 minutes
Portions: drinking
Prevents the screen from going dark
Instructions:
In a cocktail mixer, place the lime wedges and muddle them to release the juices. Make sure they are mixed up very well.
½ lime
Add lychee (fresh or canned), if using, and muddle the lychee along with the lime.
2 – 3 litchis
Pour in the lychee syrup and non-alcoholic gin and stir to combine.
60 ml lychee syrup, 60 ml of non-alcoholic gin
Add a generous amount of ice and stir or shake the cocktail to combine the ingredients.
Ice to mix and serve
Using a strainer, strain the mixture into a lowball glass. Add ice if you want.
Ice to mix and serve
Top up with soda or tonic (for a touch of gin and tonic). Garnish with lime and lychee wedges or slices. Serve.
Carbonated or tonic water, Extra lime wedges or lime slices, A few extra lychees
Tips and tricks
Note on lychee syrup
For this recipe I use my homemade lychee syrup. You can also use store-bought lychee syrup. However, you may need to adjust the amount depending on the sweetness of the syrup. Homemade lychee syrup is not as sweet as commercially available lychee syrup. My favorite lychee syrup that I like to buy when I don’t have homemade syrup is from a company called retea that makes great fruit syrups for homemade boba. here is the link for that (this is not a sponsored link, I love their products).Other substitutions
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- Swap non-alcoholic gin for regular gin for a delicious lychee cocktail!
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- Use tonic water instead of seltzer for a lychee-flavored gin and tonic.
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- You can add additional flavor to your lychee syrup to make the mocktail taste even more interesting. My favorite is adding ginger to my lychee syrup for a spicy kick.
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- Add 1 ounce of strongly brewed green tea for an elevated mocktail with more complex flavors.
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- Swap the non-alcoholic gin for NA tequila with a fizzy lychee margarita mocktail. Or use NA vodka to give a martini cocktail a twist!
Nutritional information:
Serving: 1drinkingCalories: 383kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 67G (22%)Protein: 0.2GFat: 0.04GPolyunsaturated fats: 0.01GSodium: 64mg (3%)Potassium: 114mg (3%)Fiber: 0.2G (1%)Sugar: 64G (71%)Vitamin A: 23UIC vitamin: 15mg (18%)Soccer: 21mg (2%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
“This website provides approximate nutritional information as a convenience and courtesy only. Nutrition data is collected primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, when available, or otherwise from other online calculators.
