Red Lotus Cocktail recipe
Rating
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Red Lotus sits firmly in the modern, vodka-forward “fruity martini” family, built for clean lines and bright colour rather than old-school lore. You’ll find it leans into the late-20th/early-21st-century taste for simple, approachable cocktails where a neutral base spirit lets bold fruit flavours take the lead. Served over ice in a rocks glass, it reads as an easygoing sipper with a vivid, ruby-tinged look.
On the palate, vodka provides a crisp, unobtrusive backbone, giving the other ingredients room to shine. The lychee liqueur brings a perfumed, tropical sweetness that feels plush and aromatic, while cranberry juice cuts through with a tart, red-fruit snap. Together, the cranberry’s sharpness keeps the lychee from becoming cloying, and the lychee’s sweetness smooths the cranberry’s edge for a balanced, fruit-led finish.
This is a great pick when you want something refreshing and crowd-pleasing without heavy citrus or bitterness. You’ll enjoy it as a pre-dinner drink, at parties, or anytime you’re in the mood for a sweet-tart, vodka-based cocktail that feels light, fragrant, and easy to return to.
Microbadges
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Cocktail Colin says:
Vodka lays down a clean, neutral base while lychee liqueur brings perfumed tropical sweetness, and cranberry juice adds a tart red-fruit snap that keeps the sip bright rather than cloying. The balance works because cranberry’s acidity trims the lychee’s sugar and lets the vodka stay crisp; it’s ideal for fans of straightforward, fruit-forward drinks and anyone wanting an easy rocks-glass crowd-pleaser.
Method
How to make a Red Lotus
- Vodka 45ml, Lychee liqueur 45ml, Cranberry juice 30ml
-
- Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice
-
- Shake well and strain into a chilled glass
-
- Garnish with a pink flower and serve
Power tips
Elevate the Red Lotus with these master mixologist tips
Upgrade to premium
And receive world class tips on how to raise your cocktails to the next level.
Find out more- Upgrade to premium to receive power tips from top bartenders around the world. Raise you mixology game.
- Read the tweaks that take this simple cocktail to the next level of greatness. Become the next best mixologist which people all talk about.
Your private tasting notes
Featured in
FAQ's
What makes lychee liqueur a key ingredient in the Red Lotus cocktail?
Lychee liqueur is a key ingredient in the Red Lotus cocktail because it imparts a distinct, sweet, and exotic lychee flavor that complements the tartness of the cranberry juice and the sharpness of the vodka. This balance of flavors is essential for achieving the unique taste profile of the Red Lotus.
What is the best way to serve a Red Lotus cocktail for maximum enjoyment?
The best way to serve a Red Lotus cocktail is chilled in a lowball glass. Shaking the ingredients with ice before straining into the glass ensures the cocktail is cold, enhancing its flavors and making it more refreshing. Serve immediately with a garnish, such as a lychee fruit skewer or a twist of lime, to add an extra touch of elegance and flavor.
What garnishes work well with a Red Lotus cocktail to enhance its presentation?
A Red Lotus cocktail can be beautifully garnished with a skewer of lychee fruit, possibly including a berry or a piece of pineapple for contrast. Additionally, a thin slice of lime or a twist of lime peel can add a colorful accent and a hint of citrus aroma, complementing the cocktail's fruity and exotic notes.
How does the alcohol content in a Red Lotus compare to other popular cocktails?
The Red Lotus cocktail has an alcohol content of approximately 20.63%, which places it in the middle range compared to other popular cocktails. For example, a classic Margarita can range from 15% to 20% alcohol by volume, while a Long Island Iced Tea typically has about 22% alcohol by volume. Therefore, the Red Lotus offers a moderate strength, making it suitable for those who prefer a drink that's neither too strong nor too light.
How can one customize the Red Lotus cocktail to cater to personal taste preferences?
The Red Lotus cocktail can be customized in several ways to cater to personal tastes. For a sweeter drink, one might increase the ratio of lychee liqueur or add a dash of simple syrup. For a less sweet, more tart version, the amount of cranberry juice could be increased. Adjusting the vodka quantity can also alter the alcohol content to make it stronger or milder. Experimenting with flavored vodkas (e.g., citrus or berry) can introduce new dimensions to the cocktail's flavor profile.
Upgrade your mixology
Become a member for free taking your cocktail making skills up to level 11. Or become a premium member to rise to cocktail greatness.
- Save your bar forever
- Access to our Cocktail Creator, allowing you to create your own wonderful concoctions.
- Access to Cocktail Colin; ask Cocktail Colin anything on an individual cocktail and he'll give you the answers you need.
- Create personalised cocktail menus for all your events, bars or parties
- Save cocktails to personalised 'Tried' and 'Want to try' lists
- Create and record tasting notes on cocktails
- Create lists of cocktails to share with friends and family
- A personalised MyBar URL, allowing you to share everything you can make with friends
- And much more ... (what to buy next, measurement choices, search personalisation...)
Have you tried our Wordpress Plugin?
Download our plugin and embed cocktail recipes directly onto your own site or blog.
Choose from our whole recipe database, or choose a specific cocktail made with a certain ingredient, and let us place a beautiful recipe on your own site.
Find out moreYou might also like
Dive into this robust mix of spirits and cola
Long Island Iced Tea
White rum, Gin, Tequila blanco, Vodka, Cointreau, Cola, Lemon juice, Sugar / simple syrup
Try this flirty blend of pineapple, vodka, and bubbles.
Flirtini
Vodka, Champagne / prosecco, Pineapple juice
Try this refreshing blend of vodka and lime
Vodka Gimlet
Vodka, Lime juice, Lemon juice, Lime cordial, Sugar / simple syrup
Experience this refreshing cucumber-infused vodka sip
Cucumber Martini
Vodka, Lime juice, Sugar / simple syrup, Cucumber
Create a cocktail
Choose a theme and some ingredients, give us some description and we'll create an amazing cocktail for you.
Register as a Premium Make Me a Cocktail community member and get access to an even more powerful creator.
Start creatingBuild your bar
Tell us what you have at home and we’ll find a delicious cocktail for you to make right now.
Register as a Make Me a Cocktail community member and we’ll save your ingredients list so you can come back to it at any time.
Create My Bar
Cocktail Colin
Your cocktail expert
Hi! I'm Cocktail Colin
Ask me anything about this cocktail - how to make it, substitutions, variations, or any other questions!
Become a member to access Cocktail Colin
Become a member (for free) to pick Cocktail Colin's cocktail filled brain on everything on this cocktail, from substitutions, if you can use what you have, to serving suggestions and more.
Become a member
Comments