Take tea time to a new level with this unique cocktail, but you’ll need to plan ahead: There are several components, and some of them need to steep as long as overnight.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Rosemary-Smoked Gin (see recipe below)
- 1 ounce Pimm’s No. 1 gin-based liqueur
- Earl Grey Orange Oleo Saccharum Soda (see recipe below)
- Apple wedge
- Lemon wheel
- Orange wheel
- 5 oranges
- ½ cup white ultrafine sugar
- ½ cup hot Earl Grey tea
- Soda water
Instructions
First, make the components:
COLD-STEEPED EARL GREY TEA
Place 2 tablespoons loose-leaf Earl Grey tea leaves in a pitcher and pour in 2 cups of cold water. Let steep in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours or overnight. Strain before using to make the Earl Grey Orange Oleo Saccharum Soda.
ROSEMARY-SMOKED GIN
In a large hermetic jar, add 12 ounces of gin. Mince a teaspoon of fresh rosemary. Put rosemary in a hand smoker, fill hermetic jar with smoke and seal. Give jar 2 good shakes and count to 5. Open jar to release smoke and your gin is now smoked.
EARL GREY ORANGE OLEO SACCHARUM SODA
To make the Earl Grey Orange Oleo Saccharum, place the rinds from the 5 oranges in a zip-top bag. Pour ½ cup white ultrafine sugar over the rinds and seal the bag. Heat the bag in water at 100°F for 90 minutes (or use a sous vide cooker). At the end of the 90 minutes, brew ½ cup Earl Grey tea and pour it over the sugar. Shake for 1 minute. Strain liquid and chill.
When ready to serve, complete the soda: Take 1 part Earl Grey Orange Oleo Saccharum, 1 part soda water and 1 part Cold-Steeped Earl Grey Tea and mix together gently.
Then, make the drink:
Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice and let glass chill.
Add the Rosemary-Smoked Gin and Pimm’s into a shaker tin and lightly shake. Drain water from chilling glass, fill with fresh ice and strain shaker contents into glass. Add bar spoon to glass and pour in soda slowly as you give bar spoon 2 full spins. Garnish with apple wedge, lemon and orange wheels.
