I like tea and I like gin. I particularly like earl grey and gin based cocktails so I thought it was about time that I got creative with my cocktail shaker and tried these two tastes together. Not for my own benefit of course, all in the name of experimenting. Whenever I make a cocktail I am always amazed at how the slight slip of a hand can affect the end taste of the drink; too sweet, too acidic, too much alcohol. Then again, you can add a bit more of this and a bit less of that depending on your tastes.
You will need (per drink):
- 1 heaped tsp earl grey loose leaf tea
- 125ml water
- 20g sugar
- 50ml gin
- Juice 1 lemon
Make a strong earl grey by adding the loose leaf tea to 75ml of boiling water and leaving it to stand for 5 minutes. Remove the tea leaves when done.
Simmer together the remaining 50ml water and the sugar in a small pan until the sugar is fully dissolved and you have a syrup. Leave the syrup to cool slightly then add the stir in the tea.
Into a glass (a pretty one helps) pour the tea syrup (around 50ml), gin and the lemon juice.
Sit back, relax and sip.
I topped mine with some little dried cornflowers. Just because.
This is truly a tipple to enjoy on a warm afternoon. A glass of this, sat outside in some dappled shade and everything is just marvellous. The flavours are as you would expect; the delicate bergamot from the earl grey giving everything a lovely flavour. The balance of sweetness to acidic lemon to gin, to my taste, is spot on. Also, as it doesn’t need any really special ingredients you could knock up a batch at a moment’s notice. Topping the cocktail with cornflowers doesn’t add anything other than making it look pretty; and why not.
Yum, this looks great!
melanie @ meandmr.com
I love tea and I love gin, too, Caroline. But I never thought to put the two together! What a fabulous idea for a cocktail! I would love to sit and sip one of these in the shade of a lazy day! : )
What a fantastic cocktail! I love the sound of earl grey with gin! Such a great idea!
Gee, I have a fresh pot of Earl Grey tea on the counter top, and gin the cupboard. A few minutes of work and I could be in business. 😉 This is a great looking cocktail — love the combo of flavors. Thanks for this.
Tea & Gin sounds good to me!
What a lovely cocktail! I’ve never mixed gin with tea, but now I can’t wait to try it.
I’ve never thought of using tea in a cocktail, but now that you’ve put that thought in my mind, I know I’d love cocktails like yours 🙂 Beautiful, too.
Now I guess you could say that you’re a teetotaling drinker! 😉 Clever (and no doubt refreshing) way to blend the two beverages.
Mmm! I have never tried tea and alcohol together before. One to stay awake and one to make you not stand straight… definitely a must-try combination and see whether I’ll stand at the end! 😉
Two of my favourite things combined! You could sneak it into a mug on a hectic day perhaps too (naughty).
What a tasty cocktail!!!
what a fun idea for a drink