Fresh Lychee Grapefruit Juice Recipe

Blend lychees

Place the peeled, pitted fresh lychees (about 2 cups) into a blender. Add 1/4 cup of the cold water to help blending. Purée on high until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds.

Strain purée

Pour the lychee purée through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, using a spatula to press and extract as much smooth liquid as possible. Discard leftover solids (or reserve for another use). You should end up with roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups lychee liquid.

In a pitcher, combine the strained lychee liquid, 1 cup fresh ruby grapefruit juice, and the remaining 3/4 cup cold water. Stir gently to combine.

Add 2 tablespoons simple syrup (or agave) and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice. Taste and adjust sweetness — add up to 1 additional tablespoon syrup if you prefer sweeter. Stir until the sweetener is fully incorporated.

Fill two serving glasses with crushed ice (about 1 cup crushed ice per glass). Divide the juice mixture between the glasses.

Garnish each glass with 2 mint leaves, 2 lychee halves, and a thin slice of grapefruit on the rim. Optionally, gently slap the mint between your palms before adding to release aroma.

Serve immediately. If preparing ahead, refrigerate the combined juice (without ice or garnishes) for up to 24 hours; stir before serving and add fresh ice and garnishes.