It’s been quite the summer so far hasn’t it? We took a little break from our cocktail hour series to test out some new recipes in the workshop and we’re back today, with one of our favourite new recipes! While it’s not exactly a new recipe, the Earl Grey MarTEAni has quickly become part of our regular summer rotation.
Not to be confused with your everyday martini, the capital ‘TEA’ in this cocktails namesake refers, of course, to the fact that it’s made with an earl grey infused gin. We realize this might sound intimidating, but it’s definitely way easier than it sounds, trust us 😉 All you need is fresh a bottle of gin and some good quality tea leaves. Measure them into the bottle, steep for a couple hours, strain, and bam! You got yourself a bottle of gin with a whole lot more depth of flavour than your average bottle fresh off the shelves. Don’t forget to refrigerate it and it’s basically good forever.
This classic cocktail was created by beverage director Audrey Saunders who leads the cocktail program at Bemelmans Bar inside the Carlyle Hotel in New York. She came up with the recipe because she thought it would be cool and interesting to top a gin sour with earl grey foam.
It’s probably her most famous creation to date and we can understand why. It’s absolutely one of the most delicious, refreshing drinks we’ve tasted in a while and we’re excited to share the method behind it below
Earl Grey MarTEAni
Ingredients:
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
1 ½ oz Earl Grey Tea Infused Gin (see below recipe)
1 Egg White
Lemon Twist or Floral Garnish
Method:
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and dry shake. Add ice to cocktail shaker and shake with vigour well chilled for about 20 seconds. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with fresh flower petals (sweet pea blossoms or carnation petals work well for this).
Earl Grey Infused Gin
Take one bottle 750ml bottle of gin, we like to use Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray for its flavour. Open it and add in four tablespoons of good quality loose leaf earl grey tea. Cap the bottle and shake for a second.
Let the bottle sit at room temperature for two hours (set a timer). Strain contents through a fine sieve or coffee filter into a bowl. Rinse the bottle out with water to remove any access leaves and pour the infusion back into the bottle.
If refrigerated, the infusion will keep forever.
