Guide: How to make tea infused cocktails

Tea is our main subject, naturally we find creative ways to steep them. We've steeped them in different temperature water or in different types of water (spring, tap, filtered) to see how the changing variable alters the final flavor and aroma.

Over the years we found ourselves steeping teas in a wide range of liquids other than still water: cream or milk for pastry, liquor for cocktails, brine and sauce for a savory application, and then recently sparkling water for a fizzy texture.

One of our absolute favorites though is tea infused liquor. We've tried various liquors as steeping agent, of course, but we find gin to be the most perfect partner. You may raise your brow and wonder if that's so. We think so, and pretty certain that's true for Taiwanese oolongs. There is something about the botanicals in gin that bring out oolong's ethereal quality.

Here is our recipe for a simple tea infused gin & tonic. We encourage you to try it with us and let us know if what we say is true.

Tea Infused Gin Recipe

Ingredients

• 14 grams (1/2 oz) dry tea leaves, we recommend Baozhong Expert's Pick or Mount Pyrus.
• 750ml (a bottle) of Hayman's London Dry gin 

Procedure

1. Measure out loose leaf tea into a glass container.
2. Pour the appropriate amount of gin to the container and stir. (Alternatively, add the tea leaves directly into the 750ml bottle of gin.)
3. Brew for 24 hours in the refrigerator or 12 hours at room temperature.
4. Strain with a fine mesh into a clean and dry bottle for storage. (You can also just leave the tea leaves in the bottle and strain as you pour for use).
5. Refrigerate and use as needed.
6. Chew on the gin-soaked tea leaves because you can and it’s delicious (optional). 

Note: This tea gin is also delicious as is. Add a cube of ice or a splash of the same tea or water for sipping. We recommend serving in your favorite cocktail glass for added luxury.

Tea-infused Gin & Tonic Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 part tea-infused gin (2 oz)
• 2.5 parts tonic water (5 oz)
• A high ball glass filled with ice
• Wedges of lime

Steps:

1. Add tea-infused gin (2 oz) to the high ball glass filled with ice.
2. Top with 2.5 parts (5 oz) of Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water
3. Garnish with wedges of lime
4. There are a few different gin vs tonic ratios out there, feel free to edit the ratio to taste.