So, about 6 or 7 months ago I switched from coffee to Earl Grey Tea to reduce my caffeine intake. Maybe I did it for the caffeine thing but probably because I love the bergamot in Earl Grey and it leaves my breath less stinky.
The May issue of Bon Appetit included an article on various teas and their non-tea-like uses. One of which was infusing vodka with tea. They infused hibiscus flowers, plain old black tea, and used a green tea infused vodka in a cocktail (here). Hmmmm…..
After a couple of tries this is what we’ve come up with. This recipe is so dead-simple no photos are necessary.
I’ve also made Earl Grey ice cream. I’ll post a recipe for that when I get around to photographing the process.
Ingredients
- 750ml triple distilled vodka (You really don’t want any flavor here so put that skinny bottle back in the freezer. We use Smirnoff since it has the least flavor.)
- 1 Tablespoon loose leaf Earl Grey tea (I buy Earl Greyer at Central Market here in Austin)
- ½ a lemon
- 3 Tablespoons simple syrup
Directions
- Bring vodka to about 90-100°F in the microwave (about 2 minutes in our 1000W nukulator)
- Add Earl Grey tea and stir to combine
- Steep (are we really steeping here?) for 4-5 minutes until about the color of light caramel.
Alternatively, (and the Bon Appetit way) combine room temperature vodka with loose leaf tea, cover tightly and steep on the counter for 8 hours. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Making the Martinis
- Fill shaker with ice
- Add 7-8 ounces of Earl Grey vodka
- Squeeze juice of ½ lemon through a fine mesh strainer into shaker
- Add 3 Tablespoons simple syrup
- Shake thoroughly
- Divide between two chilled cocktail glasses
- Garnish with thin slice of lemon
- Repeat as necessary
Earl Grey Martinis