Now we love a good cocktail over here at Bohea Teas, and we love them even more when tea is a principal ingredient. So we were excited to see Pritesh Mody's recipe for an 'Earl Grey Collins' recipe in last weekends Guardian newspaper.
We would be the first to admit that our recipe borrows a lot from Pritesh's Earl Grey Collins, but we think ours goes one better by replacing the teabag with Earl Grey infused gin. We just felt that having a tea bag floater in your drink kind of spoilt the aesthetics a bit (sorry Pritesh). We also think that infusing the tea in the gin brings a stronger tea dimension to this wonderful Earl Grey Tom Collins cocktail.
Don't be put off by thinking that it's going to take an age to create the Earl Grey infused gin. The good news is, it only takes around 1.5 hours (you can even get away with 45 minutes at a push), and you can make a batch in advance, even a whole bottle if you wish, and keep it in the cocktail cupboard to use as and when the cocktail mood takes you.
The recipe is super easy, and doesn't require a cocktail shaker, this cocktail can be built in the glass in the same way you would with a negroni.
Earl Grey Tom Collins Recipe:
First make your Earl Grey infused gin (prep time 1.5 hours)
- Pour 200ml of gin into a jug (you don't need a super fancy gin here as the Earl Grey flavours will dominate). Something like Gordons will do, although Tanqueray Export was our favorite
- Add 10g of Bohea Teas Earl Grey tea
- Leave for 45 mins to 1.5 hours (1.5 hours is best)
- Strain
- Bottle if keeping for later (an old gin bottle will do) or make four Earl Grey cocktails straight away
To make the cocktail:
- 50ml Earl Grey infused gin (see above)
- 25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 35ml of elderflower cordial (we used Bottle Green)
- 75ml of sparkling water
Method:
- Add 4-6 ice cubes to your favourite tumbler or high ball
- Add all the ingredients above
- Stir
...and that's it. It really couldn't be simpler, and your guests will think you've been on a cocktail masterclass as the final drink is so well balanced.
Top tip - If you do want to make a larger quantity of the Earl Grey infused gin, don't just keep doubling up on the quantities. The alcohol pulls the flavours from the tea quite quickly, and it would quickly become too strong. If you wanted to make a 70ml (full bottle of gin) I would suggest 20g of tea and then check it for taste from 45 minutes onwards (re-checking every 15 minutes).
We hope you love this cocktail as much as we do. Let us know how you get on.
