Transport your taste buds to a tropical getaway with this Lychee Margarita recipe! The unique tropical and floral flavor of lychee fruits elevates the classic margarita to an exotic cocktail.

Lychee margarita in a short cane glass with a garnish of three lychees on a cocktail pick.

This is the ideal cocktail for when you want a margarita, but also want to mix things up. The flavor of lychees is incredibly distinct and pairs well with smooth tequila, fresh lime juice, and orange liqueur. Make a batch of these for a girls’ night, backyard barbeque, or happy hour at home to impress your guests!

Looking for snack ideas to go with your lychee fruit margaritas? Try making my Mini Tacos, Hot Corn Dip with Cream Cheese, or a layered Taco Dip!

Why You’ll Love This Lychee Margarita

Unique Flavor: Lychee fruit has a distinct flavor that is sweet, reminiscent of citrus, and slightly floral. Those flavors are all perfect for cocktails, which is why lychee cocktails are growing so popular in recent years.
Perfect for Margarita Lovers: If you love relaxing with a margarita, especially tropical margaritas, this is the perfect cocktail for you!
Tastes Like a Tropical Vacation: This margarita recipe tastes like a tropical vacation. It’s sweet, salty, and bright, perfect for sipping on the beach! Or for pretending you’re at the beach.

Ingredients

Tequila: The base spirit for a margarita is tequila. For tropical margaritas, I prefer a blanco tequila, also known as silver tequila. It doesn’t have a color and the flavor is bright and not overpowering.
Triple Sec: Add a little citrus flavor and sweetness with a splash of orange liqueur. I used triple sec in my recipe, but you can also use Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
Lime Juice: When it comes to cocktails, nothing beats freshly squeezed citrus! They add acidity that helps balance the flavors and brighten the drink. However, you can use bottled lime juice if you need to.
Lychee Syrup: The key to a sweet lychee cocktail is lychee syrup. I only have canned lychees available in my local grocery stores, so I use the syrupy juice straight out of the can!

Lychee margaritas in short cane glasses with garnishes of three lychees on cocktail picks.

Variations

Make It Spicy: If you love a spicy margarita, then add a few slices of jalapeno to your cocktail shaker to spice it up!
Try It With Elderflower: The sweet, floral flavor of lychees pairs so well with elderflower! Substitute the ounce of orange liqueur for an ounce of elderflower liqueur instead to make a lychee elderflower margarita.
Mix With Other Tropical Flavors: The exotic flavor of lychees also goes well with other tropical fruits. Add a little mango nectar, guava juice, or dragon fruit to make a flavorful tropical margarita.

How to Make a Lychee Margarita

This lychee tequila cocktail is the perfect drink for when you’re in the mood for a margarita, but also want to try something different. It’s simple to make, but the unique flavor of lychees will impress your friends.

Step 1: Add Your Ingredients: In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and lychee syrup.

Step 2: Shake Shake Shake: Add a handful of ice to the cocktail shaker. Secure the lid on the shaker and shake for 30 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients.

Step 3: Strain and Serve: Strain the lychee margarita over ice into a cocktail glass with a salt rim. Garnish with two whole lychees on a cocktail pick.

What Type of Glass Do I Use for a Margarita?

Making cocktails at home is fun and more affordable than drinking out! You don’t need a lot of fancy glasses and barware, just a few basic glasses that elevate the experience and flavor of the drinks. You can use any glass for margaritas, but there’s a difference between a margarita glass and a regular drinking glass.

Margarita Glass: These glasses have a large bowl and a long, slender stem. The large bowl lets you enjoy the smell of the cocktail while you drink, which enhances the flavor. The stem keeps your hands from heating the drink. These are ideal for margaritas without ice or frozen cocktails.
Fun Drinking Glass: If you’re like me, then you prefer a margarita over ice, or “on the rocks.” The fun thing about serving a margarita this way is that you can use any fun, festive glass that you choose!

Tips

What Are Lychee Fruits? These fruits are found in tall evergreen trees that grow in Southeast Asia. The outsides are a rough textured red-pink shell and the inside is smooth and white. Lychees have a singular seed, which is inedible. These fruits aren’t available fresh in many places, but canned lychees are easy to find. The canned fruit is already peeled and deseeded, so it is easier to eat.
Choosing the Best Tequila: For a tropical margarita, like this lychee fruit cocktail, blanco tequila is best. It has a smooth flavor that pairs well with the fruit. The tequila is also clear, so it doesn’t change the color of the cocktail.

Batching and Storing

Margaritas are the PERFECT cocktail for batching! You can make a pitcher for all of your guests to enjoy ahead of time so you don’t have to play bartender all night. Multiply the ingredients in the recipe by the number of guests you’re serving and mix them directly in a large pitcher without ice.

Store your batched margaritas in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve! You can also store any leftover cocktails in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just mix it well before serving.

Freeze any leftover lychees you have to use for future cocktails! Frozen lychee fruit also makes for excellent ice cubes in tropical cocktails.

More Delicious Floral Margarita Cocktails to Try