With spring in the air and travel on the brain, I thought it was appropriate to share a delicious celebratory cocktail. What are we celebrating you might ask? Winter is finally on it’s way out! Isn’t that worthy of a celebration in itself? Aside from that, Cassandra is prepping for a trip to London (more on that soon), and I’m planning travels of my own – unfortunately, not the international kind like Cass.
This fizzy-London inspired cocktail is perfect for the changing of seasons and boasts one of our favorite flavors – earl grey tea. If you’re not a tea drinker, not to worry! I’m not a big tea fan myself, but this has the perfect under notes of earl grey that cuts the citrus, champagne, and gin. It’s really quite balanced and looks as good as it tastes!
Earl Grey Fizz | serves two
- ½ cup Simple Syrup – 1 ¼ oz. for the cocktail (you can make this yourself with one part water / one part sugar)
- 2 Earl Grey Tea Bags (we like Harney & Sons)
- 1 ½ oz. Gin
- ¾ oz. fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Egg White
- Champagne
Begin by heating the simple syrup in a small saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. Add one tea sachet (or two more if you like strong earl grey flavoring) and allow the tea to steep for 5-6 minutes.
While the tea is steeping, slice fresh lemons and squeeze ¾ ounce of lemon juice into a cocktail shaker.
Next, add 1 ½ ounces of gin to the shaker. Ideally, it would be a London gin… that’s the name and inspiration of the cocktail after all! However, I happened to have Hendrick’s on hand.
After the lemon juice and gin have been poured into the shaker, crack an egg, separate the egg white, and add the white only to the concoction. This will make it nice and frothy!
Once the tea is finished steeping, add 1 ¼ ounces of the tea infused simple syrup to the shaker. Shake vigorously without ice to emulsify the egg white. Add a handful of ice cubes and shake again until the liquid is cold. Double strain the cocktail into a coupe glass.
Slowly pour about two ounces of Champagne on top. Things get fizzy fast, so this step requires a little patience with the pour!
Using scissors, split open the remaining tea bag and carefully chop the tea leaves into finer pieces. Sprinkle them into a row, garnishing the cocktail.
My first try, I opted for the lazy route and omitted the finely chopping step. Let me tell you- as I finished the cocktail, the texture of the tea leaves was definitely weird and off putting. Make sure you chop those babies into super fine consistency! Or, use a simple lemon twist as a garnish instead.
This cocktail has quickly become one of my favorites! It’s seasonally appropriate, refreshing, and has an interesting and unique flavor profile that’s reminiscent of London travel. I’ll make sure Cass reports back after her trip, to see how it compares. Either way, it’s easy to drink, looks gorgeous, and takes minimal effort. I’d call that a win!
