Longan is the dried-fruit cousin of lychee and rambutan. The flesh is sweeter, more honeyed, less perfumed. Fresh longans are seasonal; the dried form is available year-round and is what most cocktail bars use. In cocktails, longan brings a gentle floral sweetness that works with white spirits and sake.

What it is

Dimocarpus longan. Native to South and Southeast Asia. The fruit name "longan" comes from the Cantonese for "dragon eye" (the white flesh with the dark seed resembling an eye). Highly seasonal fresh: July to September in Malaysia. Dried longan is sold year-round and used in Chinese medicine and soups.

Flavour profile

Sweet, honey-floral, with a faint musk-grape character. Dried longan is more concentrated and slightly smokier. Pairs naturally with gin, vodka, sake, white rum, brandy, champagne. Companion ingredients: lime, ginger, osmanthus, rose, lychee, mint.

Where to source longan in Malaysia

Wet markets: fresh longan in season (Jul-Sep) RM 8 to 16 per kg. Dried longan year-round at any Chinese grocer, RM 25 to 60 per 500g.

Supermarkets: Cold Storage, Aeon, Jaya Grocer stock fresh longan in season. Canned longan in syrup year-round in the Asian section.

Quality marker: fresh longan should have firm brown skin without cracks. Dried longan should be plump, not shrivelled.

How to prep longan for cocktails

Fresh muddled (in season). Peel 4-5 fresh longans, remove seeds, muddle gently in shaker.

Dried longan tea. Simmer 30g dried longan in 500ml water for 15 minutes. Strain. Use as a cocktail base or modifier. Keeps refrigerated 5 days.

Longan syrup. 50g dried longan + 250ml water + 200g sugar. Simmer 12 minutes, steep 30 minutes covered, strain. Keeps refrigerated 3 weeks.

Longan-infused gin. 25g dried longan in 500ml gin. Cap, leave 48 hours, taste, strain.

Best cocktails with longan

Longan Martini: gin, dry vermouth, longan syrup, garnished with fresh peeled longan.

Longan Sake Cocktail: sake, longan tea, fresh lime, simple syrup.

Longan-Osmanthus Gin Sour: gin, fresh lemon, longan syrup, osmanthus drops, egg white.

Longan Old Fashioned (light): aged white rum, longan syrup, aromatic bitters, single ice cube.

In Malaysian use

Longan (mata kucing in Malay, literally "cat's eye") grows in Malaysia, with the best fruit coming from northern Perak, Pahang, and along the Thai border. Mata Kucing is also the name of a specific local cultivar slightly different from imported Thai longan; sweeter, smaller, with thinner skin. The dried form is one of the most-used ingredients in Malaysian-Chinese cooking: a sweet-soup staple (red date and longan tong sui), a Chinese-medicinal ingredient said to nourish blood and calm the heart, and a regular garnish in herbal soups for postpartum confinement.

For sourcing, fresh longan in season (July to September) is at the Pasar Borong Selayang wholesale market, TTDI morning market, and any Chinese grocer for RM 8 to 16 per kg. Dried longan year-round is at Petaling Street, Tan Boon Hong in Pudu, and any Chinese-medicine shop along Jalan Tun H S Lee for RM 25 to 60 per 500g. At the bar, longan tea brewed strong and served over ice with gin and a calamansi peel is one of our quieter signature riffs, treating the dried fruit the way we would Earl Grey rather than the way most bars treat the canned syrup.

Substitutions

  • Lychee for a more floral substitute (canned works).
  • Rambutan for similar honey-grape character.
  • White grape for the grape-honey direction.

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

What does longan taste like in cocktails?

Longan reads as sweet and honey-floral with a faint musk-grape character. Less perfumed than lychee, more honeyed. Dried longan is more concentrated and slightly smokier, which is why it stands up to gin and sake builds better than the canned-in-syrup form. The Cantonese name dragon eye describes the dark seed at the centre of the translucent flesh.

Where can I buy longan in Malaysia?

Fresh longan in season (July to September) is at Pasar Borong Selayang, TTDI morning market, and any Chinese grocer for RM 8 to 16 per kg. Dried longan year-round is at Petaling Street, Tan Boon Hong in Pudu, and Chinese-medicine shops along Jalan Tun H S Lee for RM 25 to 60 per 500g. Canned longan in syrup is at every supermarket.

What can I substitute for longan?

Lychee for a more floral substitute (canned works in a pinch). Rambutan for a similar honey-grape character with a slightly different texture. White grape juice covers the grape-honey direction. None of these match dried longan's smokier register, which is closer to Earl Grey than to fresh tropical fruit.

Which cocktails use longan?

Our longan builds are Longan Martini (gin, dry vermouth, longan syrup, fresh longan garnish), Longan Sake Cocktail, Longan-Osmanthus Gin Sour, and Longan Old Fashioned (light, with aged white rum). One of our quieter signature riffs treats brewed longan tea like Earl Grey, served over ice with gin and calamansi peel.

How long does longan keep?

Fresh longan keeps 5 to 7 days refrigerated in the shell. Dried longan keeps 6 to 12 months in a sealed cool dry jar; the flavour deepens slightly with age. Longan tea (simmered) keeps 5 days refrigerated. Longan syrup keeps 3 weeks. Longan-infused gin keeps indefinitely once strained.