Sweet and refreshing Lychee Sangria combines white wine, elderflower liqueur, and canned lychees. This is great for summer outdoor gatherings!
The perfect summer beverage.
Serve this lychee sangria for brunch, as an afternoon apertif, or when you’re lounging around the pool.
Inspiration for this drink came from my recent trip to Kauai.
White Wine Lychee Sangria
One of my favorite things from Hawaii was the abundance of lychee. Lychee infused water, lychee sorbet, and lychee shaved ice.
However, the stand out from the bunch was the lychee sangria I tried in Kauai.
Who knew the combination of lychee and white wine was so delicious?!
Easy Summer Sangria Recipe
This summer sangria is so cool, refreshing, and flavorful.
The light and sweet lychees pair well with a crisp and clean Sauvignon Blanc.
Best of all, this super easy mixed beverage only requires a handful of ingredients:
- White Wine, preferably sauvignon blanc
- Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain is the most popular brand)
- Canned Lychees in Heavy Syrup
- Limes
Best White Wine for Sangria
I used Matua Sauvignon Blanc (2013). It is available at Costco and major wine retailers.
It is very affordable, and works wonderfully in sangria.
It’s best to use a drier wine. Sauvignon Blanc, California Chardonnay (not French oaky Chardonnay), and Pinot Grigio are great options. These will benefit for the sweetness of the lychee heavy syrup.
For those a sweeter tooth, moscato will definitely amp up the sugary notes of this sangria.
What is Elderflower Liqueur
Elderflower liqueur is extracted from flowers of the European elder tree (sambucus nigra). These tiny white blossoms look like a cross between baby’s breath and hydrangea.
St. Germain is the most popular brand of elderflower liqueur. This brand is widely available.
Visit any major wine/alcohol retailer to find a wide range other brands. Take caution when picking up other brands. Some variations have a slight herby medicinal flavor.
St. Germain surprisingly smells very similar to lychee, making it a perfect addition to this lychee sangria.
Plus, it adds a nice aroma that is hard to replicate. To sweeten this drink with even more lychee essence, I used the heavy syrup from the canned lychee.
This lychee sangria is a winner. It smells wonderful, tastes great, and is an ideal beverage to sip on during warm summer nights.
This was the perfect drink to toast to when my family and I arrived back home from a very enjoyable and memorable family vacation.
Where can I find fresh lychees?
Fresh lychees are available at Asian markets. Recently, I found them at Trader Joe’s, but they were twice as expensive.
The exterior skin of lychees varies from different shades of red and green. They turn brown when refrigerated, but that doesn’t mean that the fruit has gone bad.
Canned lychees can be found at pretty much any supermarket nowadays.
The canned lychee photographed above is my favorite. Try to find canned lychee that lists “lychee” as the first ingredient, not sugar or water.
Lychee Sangria
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle Sauvignon Blanc
- ½ cup St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 20 oz canned lychee in heavy syrup, drain but reserve syrup
- ¾ cup reserved lychee syrup
- 2 limes, sliced thin
- fresh lychee, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pitcher combine Sauvignon Blanc, St. Germain, drained lychees, ¾ cup reserved lychee syrup and thinly sliced limes. Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to infuse. (Allowing sangria to chill overnight is best.)
- Stir before serving. Serve chilled, with ice if desired. Garnish with fresh lychees.
Notes
- Look for canned lychee with minimal ingredients. It should just be: lychees, water, sugar.
- Fresh lychees are available at Asian supermarkets. They are often at Trader Joe’s- however they will be twice as expensive.
Ready for more summer sangria? Try these favorite recipes:
- Mango Pineapple Sangria Slush – a blended slushie sangria that combines white wine with frozen fruits
- Stone Fruit Sangria – rose wine mixed with a variety of stone fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, etc)
- Strawberry Peach Sangria – a light refreshing mix that combines white wine, limoncello, and ginger ale
Oh my! This sounds AMAZING! Sweet lychee and sangria sounds like an amazing combination! Haven’t heard of Elderflower Liqueur before. I gotta look into that! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Lokness! Hope you had a great weekend :) Lychee is one of my favorites and I love finding new ways to use it!
Love St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur– so this cocktail looks like sure delight! xxoo
Thanks Nice Cent Girl! :)
this is so beautiful.. love all your recipes + your site. so glad i discovered your site, you now have a new subscriber!
Thank you so much Thalia! I am so happy you found me. :)
Did you go to Tapas in Poipu?? I still crave that crisp sweet lychee sangria!!!
Yes! I went to Josselin’s Tapas!
Hi Maryanne! Wow I love this recipe! I am actually the Global Assistant Brand Manager for Matua Wine and would love to work with you/feature your cocktail on behalf of Matua! Let me know if you’re keen :)
Thanks Ella! Emailing you right now :)
Love this recipe! I have served this at so many parties and it never fails to delight. This weekend I need to make 2 versions – one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic. Thinking I might substitute the sauv blanc for lemonade and the liqueur for elderflower cordial?? What do you think?
Hi Shae! That makes me so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe! Have you tried Belvoir’s Elderflower Lemonade? http://www.belvoirfruitfarms.com/our-drinks/type/presse-75cl/elderflower-presse-75cl/ If you sub in lemonade and elderflower cordial, you’ll need to reduce the amount of lychee syrup since the mixture will already be rather sweet. Otherwise, lemonade and elderflower is a delicious combo!
Hi Maryanne,
One my favorite places in Miami has a lychee sangria that I absolutely love! So I’ve always wanted to make it at home…fortunately, I came across your recipe. I did it last night for a get together we had today. It was fantastic! Even the men at the house were drinking the sangria :) The ladies had to keep them away from it. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I loved how detailed you were about every single ingredient. Thanks again.
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed it. This lychee sangria is one of my favorites. Cheers!
hi
I loved your recipe, however do you mind telling me the individual portion size for making 1 single glass of this cocktail please.
Hi, in order to make a single serving of this sangria, you would have to divide each ingredient amount by 6. However, I don’t recommend cutting down the recipe. This sangria recipe is meant to produce a big batch for sharing.