Foggy Eyeball Martini with Lychee and Dry Ice Cocktail Recipe

Halloween—or honestly, any party—gets a lot more interesting when I serve something as weirdly cool as the Foggy Eyeball Martini.

This cocktail uses lychees and dry ice to create a misty, spooky effect that looks like it came straight out of a mad scientist’s lab.

It’s the kind of thing that gets people talking—or at least staring.

Perfect if you want to impress your friends or just add a little extra flair to your celebration.

When I throw together the Foggy Eyeball Martini, the lychees become these creepy “eyeballs” floating around in a classic martini flavor.

The dry ice does all the work for the foggy effect—no magic tricks needed.

If you want a cocktail that’s easy but looks like you tried really hard, this is probably it.

Foggy Eyeball Martini With Lychee And Dry Ice Cocktail Recipe

I like making this for parties because it’s weird, sweet, and crisp all at once.

Real lychee fruit and blueberries make the “eyeballs,” and dry ice brings on the spooky fog.

Equipment

• Martini glass for serving
• Cocktail shaker to get everything mixed up
• Jigger or a little measuring cup for the gin, vodka, simple syrup, and triple sec
• Bar spoon if you need to stir
• Strainer to keep out the ice and fruit bits
• Spoon or tongs for grabbing lychee, blueberries, and dry ice
• Small bowl for rolling blueberries in sugar, if you want
• Paper towels—always handy
• Gloves for dry ice (seriously, don’t skip these)

Ingredients

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce vodka
• 1 ounce triple sec
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 1 ounce canned lychee syrup or juice
• 2 canned lychee fruits (for the “eyeballs”)
• 2 fresh blueberries (they fit right inside the lychees)
• Sugar (if you want to rim the glass)
• Slice of orange for garnish (totally optional)
• Small piece of dry ice (food-safe, for the fog)
• Ice cubes for chilling

Instructions

• Pop your martini glass in the freezer, or just fill it with ice water to chill.
• If you like, rub an orange slice around the rim and dip the glass in sugar.
• Tuck a blueberry into each lychee—now you’ve got “eyeballs.” Set them aside.
• Fill your cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add the gin, vodka, triple sec, simple syrup, and lychee syrup.
• Shake it all up until the shaker feels icy cold.
• Strain it into your chilled martini glass.
• Drop in one of the “eyeballs.”
• Using tongs or a spoon, carefully add a tiny piece of dry ice right before serving to get the fog going.
• Add an orange slice to the rim if you’re feeling fancy.
• Don’t drink until the dry ice is gone.

Notes

Never, ever touch dry ice with bare hands—it’ll burn you.

I always use tongs or gloves, and keep the pieces small, about pea-sized.

Wait until the fogging stops before anyone takes a sip.

If you can’t find canned lychees, fresh or frozen are fine, but canned ones are usually the perfect size and texture for “eyeballs.”

Triple sec and simple syrup add sweetness, but you can tweak the amounts if you want it more or less sweet.

For kids or mocktails, just leave out the alcohol, use more lychee juice, and keep the dry ice for the fun look.

Definitely warn everyone about the dry ice—nobody wants to swallow that.

Tasting Notes

First sip? The lychee flavor hits right away.

It’s sweet and juicy, but not overwhelming.

The gin and vermouth give it a crisp, herbal kick that balances things out.

There’s this subtle floral scent from the lychee, and the whole thing feels light—not heavy or syrupy.

Honestly, it goes down pretty easy.

*Dry ice chills the drink from the start.
*It adds a dramatic smoky look, but the taste stays nice and clean.

The lychee “eyeball” is soft, a little chewy, and soaks up the booze for a fruity burst.

That dry ice fog? It doesn’t mess with the flavor, but it does make every sip feel like a bit of a show.

Substitute

Sometimes I just run out of ingredients—or maybe I’m just in the mood to mix things up a bit. When it comes to the Foggy Eyeball Martini with Lychee, I’ve played around with a few easy swaps that still keep things tasty.

Equipment:

• Martini glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Toothpick or skewer

Ingredients:

• If lychee’s not in the pantry, I’ll grab canned grapes or even peeled seedless grapes.
• No dry ice? Honestly, I just go with crushed ice—sure, you lose the smoky drama, but it’s still nice and cold.
• For that “eyeball” vibe, blueberries or cherries work pretty well as a lychee stand-in.
• Out of vodka? I’ll reach for white rum or gin, depending on what’s on hand.

Instructions:

• I fill the glass with crushed ice if there’s no dry ice around.
• Grapes with a blueberry or cherry tucked inside make a quirky “eyeball” if lychees are missing.
• Vodka’s not the only option—any clear spirit in the shaker does the trick.
• I just put it all together as usual and top it off with whatever “eyeball” fruit I’ve got.

I like that these little changes mean I can still whip up the cocktail, even if my kitchen’s running low on the usual stuff.