This earl grey cocktail syrup was something I originally had to make for the drink Treaty of Paris. Most cocktail syrups these days aren’t sold in stores, just because they are getting more and more creative. Thankfully most of them are not that difficult to make, usually just a simple syrup infused with another ingredient. In the case of this Earl Grey cocktail syrup, we use Earl Grey tea.
The one suggestion I highly recommend is to use high quality Earl Grey tea. Stay away from powder tea bags and go for some loose leaf tea if you can find it. I spent a good amount of time in Sri Lanka touring tea plantations earlier this year learning all about the differences, so now I’m a bit of a tea elitist (not really, but it is better to avoid bags).
There are only three ingredients for this syrup; loose leaf Earl Grey tea, Sugar, and Water. Now you don’t have to worry about over-steeping your tea here, because the large amount of sugar will easily balance out any bitterness you get from the cooked leaves. Remember, you’re not making a proper cuppa, just something to add to cocktails (or non-alcoholic drinks).
I am using a džezva that I picked up in Sarajevo last year since it’s the perfect size for making half cups of simple syurp. (You can read more about actual Bosnian coffee here). Just add a half cup of water and bring to a boil. When boiling add a tsp of Earl Grey tea and stir it around. Then add in half a cup of sugar and mix that in. When the sugar is fully dissolved strain the liquid into a jar or bottle and keep in a cool dark place.
Earl Grey Cocktail Syrup
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Earl Grey Tea loose leaf high quality preferred
Instructions
- In a small pot or something similar add a half cup of water and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling add the tea leaves and stir them around for a few seconds. Then add the half cup of sugar.
- Stir the sugar around until completely dissolved then strain the contents into a resealable jar or bottle and keep in a cool dark place.
