Beverage Recipes

Lychee Boba Tea Cocktail

This cocktail is your passport to the tropics—no plane ticket required. Bright, floral lychee meets earthy green tea concentrate and botanical gin for a drink that’s equal parts refreshing and refined. It tastes like vacation in a glass! 

We used canned lychee, so you can shake this cocktail up any time of year. The lychee syrup from the can adds sweetness and gives the tapioca pearls a subtle fruitiness, while those chewy little gems add just the right pop of fun. Our tip: skip the gin and this becomes the perfect NA sipper, too.

Serves: 4 to 6

Lychee Boba Tea Cocktail
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Beverage

Lychee Boba Tea Cocktail

Ingredients

For the tapioca pearls:

¼ cup tapioca pearls
1 (15-oz) can peeled whole lychees in syrup

For the green tea concentrate:

3 green tea bags

For the lychee cocktail:

1 (15-oz) can peeled whole lychees in syrup
1 ½ cups green tea concentrate
1 cup Hendricks gin
Ice
12 ounces ginger beer

Directions

  1. To make the tapioca pearls: In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tapioca pearls are mostly translucent and the water is fully absorbed. 
  2. Strain the lychee syrup into the pot and reserve the fruit for garnishing the cocktail. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the pearls are fully translucent. Transfer the pearls and the syrup to a resealable jar and cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
  3. To make the green tea concentrate: In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups of water to 180°F and turn off the heat. Add the green tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags and refrigerate the concentrate until cooled, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.   
  4. To make the cocktail: In a blender, combine the canned lychees and syrup, green tea concentrate, and gin. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain into a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  5. To serve, fill 6 12-ounce glasses with 3 spoonfuls of tapioca pearls and fill the glasses with ice. Divide the cocktail among the glasses and top off each with 2 ounces of ginger beer. Garnish with the reserved lychees and enjoy!