Tea-Based Cocktails
For our steampunk phase, Loonatic suggested that we throw together (ahem, I mean lovingly and carefully craft, of course). And I have way too much tea (there are a few tea-based cocktails already hanging around in other posts), so I thought it was a great idea.
Imperial Agenda
The Victorian Age was the heyday of the British Empire. As a naval and colonial power, their might extended across the world and influenced commerce, art, and culture. So it's not hard to imagine these high-flying ladies and gentlemen enjoying a cocktail celebrating their good fortune. The earl grey vodka and lavender are complementary, distinctly British flavors, and the drink gains depth from the coconut rum and coconut milk. Add a dash of edible glitter for complete decadence. Loosely based on the Full Moon Cocktail from Jojotastic (https://jojotastic.com/2016/08/18/recipe-full-moon-martini/).
-1.5 oz earl grey infused vodka
-.5 oz lavender liqueur
-.75 oz coconut rum
-coconut milk and water ice sphere
-edible glitter
Serve in: a coup glass to show off that ice ball
Instructions
Okay, so this drink requires a little (very little, don't worry) preparation. Prep the first: make a coconut milk ice sphere. This is easy, I just followed Jojotastic's instructions and filled a spherical ice mold with half water and half coconut milk, making sure to shake it together a little, and let it freeze for a few hours (if you don't have a spherical ice mold, they're pretty cheap and easy to find. I think I bought my set at Home Goods for $5). Prep the second: infuse some vodka with earl grey tea. Which really just involves putting a tea bag in a few ounces of vodka for 30 minutes to an hour (just test it periodically, depending on how strong you want it). After those things have steeped/frozen, just mix the vodka (sans tea bag) with the lavender liqueur (I used Transatlantyk's recipe for Lavender Liqueur from http://www.transatlantykblog.com/blog-en1/2016/5/7/lavender-liqueur) and the coconut rum, adding the edible glitter if you want a little extra shine, and then dropping in your coconut ice sphere. And bam, you've got a full moon peeking through the smog in a classic gaslit London night!
Garden of the Eloi
After throwing this together the search for a name led to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Why? Well I always figured that when the Time Traveler returned to live in the future, he'd have to bring his home supply of brandy he used to sip in his library, and then mix it with the florals and fruits in the Eloi's post-apocalyptic Eden. The fiery sweetness of the brandy blends with the light fruitiness of the peach tea, the floral notes of the elderflower, and then the punch of the lemon juice. Best enjoyed after you've defeated the Morlocks and can once again be at peace amongst the Eloi.
- 4 oz peach tea (I used a Bonita Peach Rooibos tea from The Spice and Tea Exchange, which is delightfully delicate and caffeine-free)
- 1 oz brandy (nothing too sweet, but it doesn't have to be too highbrow either. We used Felipe II)
- .25 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz elderflower liqueur
Instructions
Brew up your tea of choice nice and hot, then add the other ingredients and stir. I would recommend serving it in a fancy tea cup, because it's a fancy drink and it deserves to be treated as such.
Nautilus
I know this recipe looks crazy, but it actually makes a very mild, sweet, subtle drink (that looks absolutely amazing). Jasmine tea is a really beautiful floral tea, and it works well with so many things. This cocktail is a sweet, creamy, drink that is tropical without being too sweet, too sour, or too boozy (not that I mind those drinks!). Macadamia liqueur and coconut cream give the drink a subtle nuttiness, and pandan flavoring (I know it's a bit unusual in the U.S.) adds a hint of the most incredible savory-grassy-vanilla flavor. Plus if you get the consistency right, the cream layer slowly drips into the tea with an effect similar to a jellyfish shot. Would it be served on the famed submarine? Maybe so, that Captain Nemo certainly travels in style.
For the drink
-4 oz jasmine tea (chilled)
-1.5 oz white rum
-1 oz macadamia nut liqueur
For the cream topping (makes enough for 2-3 servings, I like to have extra)
-2 oz coconut cream (skimmed from the top of a can of coconut milk)
-.25 tsp Pandan flavoring
-.75 oz macadamia nut liqueur
Instructions
Okay, this is kind of a complicated one. Make some jasmine tea first (I used The Spice and Tea Exchange's Jasmine Pearls, with a sprinkling of their White Papaya tea to amp up the delicate tropical flavors), and chill (I stuck mine in the freezer for half and hour).
After that's cool, start on the cream topping by skimming the cream off the top of a can of coconut milk (do NOT shake before opening, that causes the cream to mix in with the rest of the liquid). Put in a bowl and whip with the liqueur and Pandan flavoring (use an electric mixer. Coconut cream can be whipped, but it takes a while and your arm will fall off before you get any air to stay in the cream. For this recipe, I didn't bother to whip all the way into a stiff whipped cream, I just did it long enough to get it a bit fluffy).
When you get to a consistency you like, set that aside and bring the tea back out. Mix the tea, rum, and macadamia liqueur in a glass, then spoon the coconut cream gently on top. Serve with a straw, and maybe a sprinkle of coconut if you're feeling crazy.
Tip: for the coconut cream topping, make sure everything is very cold (the cream, the mixing bowl, whatever you can). Otherwise it's going to want to whip even less than it usually does.
Phileas Fogg
Until now, only a world-class traveler like Phileus Fogg could collect such a varied stock of cocktail ingredients! The Gold Kili Ginger Matcha Latte is the real star here. I generally find Gold Kili drink packets at oriental markets and sometimes even outlets like Ross and Burlington. I didn't want to overpower the delicate matcha flavor, but I did find that tequila and Arrogante Damiana (an herbal tequila liqueur) contributed a lovely herbal edge that fit right alongside the grassy matcha and the spicy ginger. By rail or by steamer, you'd have to travel 80 days at least to see its likeness.
- 1 packet Gold Kili Ginger Matcha Latte
- 5 oz water
- 2 oz milk or half and half
- 1 oz tequila
- 1 oz Arrogante Damiana Liqueur
Instructions
For this drink, I made the packet up with hot with mostly water, but adding a little half and half at the end (the latte packets come with a creamer already in them, but it never hurts to add a little extra). After that, stir in the Kili packet, plus the tequila and the damiana liqueur.
One Thousand and One Nights
Although the tales from One Thousand and One Nights are much older, newer, unabridged English translations were hitting the shelves of Victorian London in the 1880s. In particular, the version presented by infamous adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton was both hailed and banned for its uncensored content. Though the original writers might not approve of alcoholic cocktails, it is not hard to imagine such a controversial Renaissance man as Burton inventing such a drink. This concoction marries the base of black tea with the unusual Rooh Afza, the sharp acid of lime, and a rose sugar rim for sweetness and aroma.
-1.5 oz rose black tea infused vodka
-.5 tsp lime juice (plus a little for wetting the rim)
-.5 tsp Rooh Afza
-a little rose sugar to rim the drink with
Instructions
So again, just a little bit of forethought required for this shot. Just like
above, making a tea-infused liquor is super simple, just add the tea or
the tea-bag to a cup of liquor (vodka here) for 30 minutes to an hour,
and you're good to go (because I'm too fancy for my own good the
tea-infused liquor is in the little red perfume bottle in the picture). After
that, you just need to rim the glass and add the other flavors. I wet
the glass rim with lime juice before dipping it in the rose sugar
(which I picked up from The Spice and Tea Exchange, but you can easily
make by mixing some rose petals and sugar together for a couple days).
After rimming the glass, you can stir the vodka, lime juice, and Rooh
Afza together and enjoy your day. If you're not familiar with Rooh Afza,
you should be. It's a classic Indian/Southern Asian drink syrup
generally added to water or milk, and usually flavored with rose and
other fruits/herbs with a terrifyingly incandescent pink color that
brings a little color to every drink. It's something you can generally
find cheap at Indian/Middle Eastern markets, so give it a try!
Imperial Agenda
-1.5 oz earl grey infused vodka
-.5 oz lavender liqueur
-.75 oz coconut rum
-coconut milk and water ice sphere
-edible glitter
Serve in: a coup glass to show off that ice ball
Instructions
Okay, so this drink requires a little (very little, don't worry) preparation. Prep the first: make a coconut milk ice sphere. This is easy, I just followed Jojotastic's instructions and filled a spherical ice mold with half water and half coconut milk, making sure to shake it together a little, and let it freeze for a few hours (if you don't have a spherical ice mold, they're pretty cheap and easy to find. I think I bought my set at Home Goods for $5). Prep the second: infuse some vodka with earl grey tea. Which really just involves putting a tea bag in a few ounces of vodka for 30 minutes to an hour (just test it periodically, depending on how strong you want it). After those things have steeped/frozen, just mix the vodka (sans tea bag) with the lavender liqueur (I used Transatlantyk's recipe for Lavender Liqueur from http://www.transatlantykblog.com/blog-en1/2016/5/7/lavender-liqueur) and the coconut rum, adding the edible glitter if you want a little extra shine, and then dropping in your coconut ice sphere. And bam, you've got a full moon peeking through the smog in a classic gaslit London night!
Garden of the Eloi
After throwing this together the search for a name led to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Why? Well I always figured that when the Time Traveler returned to live in the future, he'd have to bring his home supply of brandy he used to sip in his library, and then mix it with the florals and fruits in the Eloi's post-apocalyptic Eden. The fiery sweetness of the brandy blends with the light fruitiness of the peach tea, the floral notes of the elderflower, and then the punch of the lemon juice. Best enjoyed after you've defeated the Morlocks and can once again be at peace amongst the Eloi.
- 4 oz peach tea (I used a Bonita Peach Rooibos tea from The Spice and Tea Exchange, which is delightfully delicate and caffeine-free)
- 1 oz brandy (nothing too sweet, but it doesn't have to be too highbrow either. We used Felipe II)
- .25 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz elderflower liqueur
Instructions
Brew up your tea of choice nice and hot, then add the other ingredients and stir. I would recommend serving it in a fancy tea cup, because it's a fancy drink and it deserves to be treated as such.
Nautilus
I know this recipe looks crazy, but it actually makes a very mild, sweet, subtle drink (that looks absolutely amazing). Jasmine tea is a really beautiful floral tea, and it works well with so many things. This cocktail is a sweet, creamy, drink that is tropical without being too sweet, too sour, or too boozy (not that I mind those drinks!). Macadamia liqueur and coconut cream give the drink a subtle nuttiness, and pandan flavoring (I know it's a bit unusual in the U.S.) adds a hint of the most incredible savory-grassy-vanilla flavor. Plus if you get the consistency right, the cream layer slowly drips into the tea with an effect similar to a jellyfish shot. Would it be served on the famed submarine? Maybe so, that Captain Nemo certainly travels in style. 
-4 oz jasmine tea (chilled)
-1.5 oz white rum
-1 oz macadamia nut liqueur
For the cream topping (makes enough for 2-3 servings, I like to have extra)
-2 oz coconut cream (skimmed from the top of a can of coconut milk)
-.25 tsp Pandan flavoring
-.75 oz macadamia nut liqueur
Instructions
Okay, this is kind of a complicated one. Make some jasmine tea first (I used The Spice and Tea Exchange's Jasmine Pearls, with a sprinkling of their White Papaya tea to amp up the delicate tropical flavors), and chill (I stuck mine in the freezer for half and hour).
After that's cool, start on the cream topping by skimming the cream off the top of a can of coconut milk (do NOT shake before opening, that causes the cream to mix in with the rest of the liquid). Put in a bowl and whip with the liqueur and Pandan flavoring (use an electric mixer. Coconut cream can be whipped, but it takes a while and your arm will fall off before you get any air to stay in the cream. For this recipe, I didn't bother to whip all the way into a stiff whipped cream, I just did it long enough to get it a bit fluffy).
When you get to a consistency you like, set that aside and bring the tea back out. Mix the tea, rum, and macadamia liqueur in a glass, then spoon the coconut cream gently on top. Serve with a straw, and maybe a sprinkle of coconut if you're feeling crazy.
Tip: for the coconut cream topping, make sure everything is very cold (the cream, the mixing bowl, whatever you can). Otherwise it's going to want to whip even less than it usually does.
Phileas Fogg
Until now, only a world-class traveler like Phileus Fogg could collect such a varied stock of cocktail ingredients! The Gold Kili Ginger Matcha Latte is the real star here. I generally find Gold Kili drink packets at oriental markets and sometimes even outlets like Ross and Burlington. I didn't want to overpower the delicate matcha flavor, but I did find that tequila and Arrogante Damiana (an herbal tequila liqueur) contributed a lovely herbal edge that fit right alongside the grassy matcha and the spicy ginger. By rail or by steamer, you'd have to travel 80 days at least to see its likeness.
- 1 packet Gold Kili Ginger Matcha Latte
- 5 oz water
- 2 oz milk or half and half
- 1 oz tequila
- 1 oz Arrogante Damiana Liqueur
Instructions
For this drink, I made the packet up with hot with mostly water, but adding a little half and half at the end (the latte packets come with a creamer already in them, but it never hurts to add a little extra). After that, stir in the Kili packet, plus the tequila and the damiana liqueur.
One Thousand and One Nights
Although the tales from One Thousand and One Nights are much older, newer, unabridged English translations were hitting the shelves of Victorian London in the 1880s. In particular, the version presented by infamous adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton was both hailed and banned for its uncensored content. Though the original writers might not approve of alcoholic cocktails, it is not hard to imagine such a controversial Renaissance man as Burton inventing such a drink. This concoction marries the base of black tea with the unusual Rooh Afza, the sharp acid of lime, and a rose sugar rim for sweetness and aroma.
-1.5 oz rose black tea infused vodka
-.5 tsp lime juice (plus a little for wetting the rim)
-.5 tsp Rooh Afza
-a little rose sugar to rim the drink with
Instructions
So again, just a little bit of forethought required for this shot. Just like
above, making a tea-infused liquor is super simple, just add the tea or
the tea-bag to a cup of liquor (vodka here) for 30 minutes to an hour,
and you're good to go (because I'm too fancy for my own good the
tea-infused liquor is in the little red perfume bottle in the picture). After
that, you just need to rim the glass and add the other flavors. I wet
the glass rim with lime juice before dipping it in the rose sugar
(which I picked up from The Spice and Tea Exchange, but you can easily
make by mixing some rose petals and sugar together for a couple days).
After rimming the glass, you can stir the vodka, lime juice, and Rooh
Afza together and enjoy your day. If you're not familiar with Rooh Afza,
you should be. It's a classic Indian/Southern Asian drink syrup
generally added to water or milk, and usually flavored with rose and
other fruits/herbs with a terrifyingly incandescent pink color that
brings a little color to every drink. It's something you can generally
find cheap at Indian/Middle Eastern markets, so give it a try!
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