This martini takes us back to the United States but with a decidedly Asian influence. It was reportedly invented at a Korean restaurant in midtown, New York.

• Add a touch of vermouth to a martini glass (although you can omit this completely if you like, and indeed in most cases I do).
• Add around 15ml lychee liqueur.
• Add 15ml lychee syrup (from a tin of lychees).
• Then top up with 50ml chilled vodka from the freezer.
• Garnish with one or two lychees.

I find that this tends to use up the syrup from a lychee tin faster than the lychees themselves. If I am left with several of these delectable fruits at the end, I store them in the freezer until I have collected enough of them to turn them into a sorbet, perhaps with some of the juice left over from all those lemons I’ve zested as well.

However, it’s also more than acceptable to simply serve the extra lychees on the side, or perhaps as a simple dessert after dinner.

Note that these martinis are only half the strength of a classic martini, so you can really enjoy them without the same amount of jeopardy. They can be a really nice after-dinner treat and I think they are especially nice in the summer.