Lychee brings a perfumed, rose-like sweetness, cranberry adds tartness and a deep red colour. Shaken cold and poured over ice, this is about as quick as a good cocktail gets.
1½ oz
vodkae.g. Absolut · Smirnoff · Grey Goose · Ketel One · Belvedere
1 oz
lychee liqueur e.g. Soho or Kwai Fehe.g. Soho · Giffard · Kwai Feh
1½ oz
cranberry juice
Garnish: Optional lychee · Ice: Ice cubes
Red Lotus
Sweet and floral with juicy lychee, balanced by tart cranberry. Medium strength and very smooth.
The Red Lotus belongs to the wave of simple fruit-forward vodka drinks that became popular in bars from the 1990s onward, when flavoured liqueurs from Asian fruits such as lychee started appearing on back bars in Europe and North America. There is no documented inventor, and the name mainly describes the look: a deep red drink with the floral character of lychee, a fruit native to southern China.
In structure it is a close relative of the Cosmopolitan and the Sea Breeze: a neutral spirit, a fruit liqueur and tart cranberry juice. That makes it an easy entry into cocktails and a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Sweet, floral and fruity from the lychee, with a tart finish from the cranberry.
Use lychee syrup from a can plus a little extra vodka, though the flavour will be less intense.
It is medium strength, similar to a Cosmopolitan.
The perfect sound
Exotic and serene like a lotus pond at dusk.
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