Lychee Cranberry Spice Cocktail

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THANKSGIVING IN A GLASS

Lychee is a local favorite and a staple ingredient in many dishes and cocktails. The delicious fruit is one of my favorites — and with the holidays fast approaching, I decided to experiment with lychee for a new holiday treat. Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients

Kai Lychee vodka
Cranberry juice
Grand Marnier
Nutmeg
Ice

Steps

1) Fill a glass with one shot of Kai Lychee vodka and two shots of Grand Marnier. Stir lightly.

2) Combine a quarter of the glass with cranberry juice.

3) Top with ice and stir.

4) Dust nutmeg on top and add garnish.

5) Enjoy.

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The sweetness from the lychee is too much on its own, but paired with Grand Marnier’s musky and bitter orange flavors, they complement one another perfectly.

The combination tastes fine alone, but it’s strong — Kai is 35 percent alcohol, and Grand Marnier’s got 40 percent. With that in mind, I added cranberry juice to dull that burn a bit.

Nutmeg adds the right amount of holiday spice and complements the cranberry; it’s like Thanksgiving in a glass.

I came up with this drink one warm Saturday night, when I came home to an empty apartment — save for my puppy — and was in the holiday spirit (I work at the mall, and the Christmas décor there has been up for weeks). I ransacked my liquor cabinet (aka the fridge) and decided to work with what I had. The ingredients featured were the winners from my limited collection — and thus the lychee cranberry spice was born.

At first, I was hesitant to sip what I had created; there was a considerable amount of nutmeg afloat, and I had never dusted a spice on my alcohol before. Yet, when the cocktail hit my lips, I was surprised at the deliciousness of it all. Because I am a generous friend, I made a little more, poured the concoction into a water bottle (because I’m classy), and brought my friends an early Christmas present.

Here’s to the holidays!

BAMSAMMI@GMAIL.COM