Blueberry-Hibiscus Smash

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BLUEBERRY-HIBISCUS SMASH

It feels like the long wait is over and the warmth has finally arrived!  I've been doing fam brunches for the past couple weeks - inviting friends to come by when they can on a Sunday, cooking up a storm, and letting the day linger as we all eat and chat and have a few cocktails.  One of my favorite things to do is make a huge pitcher of (unsweetened) hibiscus tea ahead of time; it's the perfect mixer.  I love combining it with freshly squeezed juice from the market or from whatever I have on hand for an arnold palmer of sorts.  With a great, infused simple syrup (ginger, mint, rose, clove), I have endless variations for both mocktails and cocktails.

For this cocktail, I keep it super simple - muddling together mint, fresh blueberries, and lemon.  Honey sweetens it up a bit, and, of course, the hibiscus tea adds tartness.  The smash was created as a simpler version of the mint julep - it only requires a bit of muddling rather than making a mint simple syrup or extract.  It was originally made with whiskey, but there are tons of versions with vodka, rum and gin.  For this one I flip flop between using rum and vodka (I can't decide which I like better!), so pick your own poison and enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields one cocktail

6 or 7 mint leaves

8 or 9 blueberries, divided

2 lemon slices

2 teaspoons honey

4 ounces unsweetened, hibiscus tea*

2 ounces vodka or rum

Procedure

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the mint leaves with the 4 or 5 blueberries and the lemon slices to release the juices and oils.  Add the honey, hibiscus tea, and spirit and shake well to combine.

Transfer to a rocks glass filled halfway with ice and garnish with the remaining blueberries and a mint sprig.

*For loose hibiscus tea, my ratio is 1 cup dried hibiscus leaves per 10 cups water.  I generally let mine sit overnight before straining,

Smoked Earl Grey Tea Cocktail

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Smoked Earl Grey Tea Cocktail

A few weeks back, I was chatting with a friend of mine, John-Paul, who owns a really cool tea company and promised him I’d come up with an interesting tea cocktail.  This smoked earl grey tea cocktail was the result and is a delicious combination of smokiness, citrus and ginger that works for both guys and gals.

John-Paul runs Tavalon, a tea company he founded about 5 years ago when an “aha” moment in London inspired him to forge a new face for tea in America.  Their teas are incredible, yes, because they have a tea sommelier who travels all over the world sampling different teas, buy directly from tea farms, only source “premium” loose teas, and use numerous focus groups to test their over 80 blends (which they blend here in NJ).  But, beyond that, their teas are really flavorful, fun, lifestyle-oriented and, like here, work wonderfully with a little booze!

I have to admit – I am completely addicted to Tavalon’s Smoked Earl Grey Reserve Tea.  It’s incredibly complex, woodsy with citrusy floral notes.  I’ve been drinking it nonstop.  When I was coming up with this recipe, I wanted something that wasn’t too sweet and really highlighted the tea flavor rather than masking it with a heavy alcohol flavor.  This Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur I picked up (yes, because Oprah said to) worked perfectly.  The cognac base blends seamlessly with the smokiness of the tea, and the ginger is delicate enough to compliment it without taking over.  I’m ginger-light with my cooking precisely because it so easily can overpower.  Not here.  The lemon juice provides the perfect tangy balance, and using a lemon sugar on the rim provides just the right amount of sweetness.  This is a seriously good cocktail and will definitely be served at my next dinner party – enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 1

Rim:

sugar

lemon zest

½ lemon

Cocktail:

3 ounces cold, brewed smoked earl grey tea

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ounces Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur

Ice

Procedure

In a small bowl, add sugar and as much lemon zest as you desire.  Mix thoroughly and transfer to a plate.  Rub the ½ lemon along the rim of a rocks glass.  Dip glass face down into lemon sugar to create an even coating along the rim.

To the glass, add cold, brewed smoked earl grey tea, lemon juice, and ginger liqueur.  Stir to combine and add a few ice cubes.