Earl Grey Gin

Intro: Earl Grey Gin

A hot drink makes everything better, for me that drink is Earl Grey tea. I'm usually not much of a tea guy, but if someone if offering Earl Grey I simply can't help myself. I've had success infusing vodka a few times with fruit, but wanted to try something a little different this time. Steeping earl grey tea in gin and then adding a sweetener you can easily make your own earl grey gin! 

Want to make your own boozy tea-time? Here's what you need:

consumables:

• earl grey teabags
• gin
• simple syrup (50:50  sucrose:water)

devices:

• empty glass bottle
• large pot
• range
• funnel

*extra points: serve in a fancy teacup
Start by sterilizing your empty glass bottle and unpacking 3 teabags.

STEP 1: Steep Tea in Gin

Estimating only, I added one teabag for every 200ml of gin. Like all tea, tastes will vary based on personal preference. I steeped 3 teabags in about 600ml of gin for 48 hours at room temperature, I like my tea strong and this was perfect. If you're unsure start with a few bags and work your way up.

Make sure to keep the teabag tags outside the bottle and fill the bottle about halfway with gin, then screw the cap on securing the teabags. Slosh around gently to agitate steeping and leave at room temperature away from direct sunlight.

After 48 hours carefully remove teabags.

STEP 2: Make Simple Syrup

While the tea gin is brewing you can make the simple syrup. A simple syrup is a 50:50 mix of water and any type of sugar. You could use white, brown, yellow, cane, honey, agave..just about any type of sugar can be made into a simple syrup. Each will have their own distinctive taste and viscosity. I used honey.

On a low heat, add water and honey to a pot and simmer until the ingredients are mixed. Let cool.
Using a funnel, pour simple syrup into the empty space of your steeped gin, replace lid and shake to mix the liquids.

STEP 3: Earl Grey Cocktail

Gin starts at about 40% ABV, after adding the simple syrup this mix is about 25-30% ABV.

I decided to have my earl grey gin cocktail served traditionally:

• 2oz cold earl grey gin in fine teacup
• serve with container of milk, add as desired 

I also made an earl grey martini: 

• 3oz earl grey gin in martini shaker
• add ice
• shake and pour in martini glass
• garnish with orange twist

enjoy!

Comments

[njreyn]

I'd read elsewhere that this idea would work with bourbon as well. So I tried it. And liked it. Triple Sec seems to be the key. Same process, just 750ml of your bourbon of choice. Naturally, I had to make another label...

[mikeasaurus]

Cousin Earl and I would get along just fine :)

[njreyn]

I realize I'm WAY late to this party, but had to tell you that I found this, and found it quite acceptable. Have you tried it with Triple Sec on the rocks? It'll be in heavy rotation this summer. I even made a label for it...

[mikeasaurus]

You're never too late to a gin party :)

With Triple Sec sounds delicious! I'll have to give that a go...with your label, of course

[sunshiine]

Too bad you can't make the animation show up on the main page. That would be so cool. Or . . . is it possible? Is it possible to do something like that on one's profile? Just curious. I love this instructable!
Sunshiine

[mikeasaurus]

Thanks!

Unfortunately animated GIF's aren't supported as the sorting index photo or your profile picture (much to my disappointment)

[sunshiine]

Mine also! Thanks for the reply! Cheers!
Sunshiine

[depotdevoid]

But how did it taste!?

[mikeasaurus]

Splendid, it was the best brewed bergamot ever served in a teacup.

[depotdevoid]

That's awesome, as a big fan of both tea and booze I've tried a couple of varieties of store bought tea flavored vodkas. One was kinda blah, and the other was kinda gross. I am going to the liquor store this weekend, I will come home with some gin.

[mikeasaurus]

I also made some earl grey amber rum too, if you have the funds you should try both. The process on making is the same! You know I want to see your results!

[depotdevoid]

Okay okay okay, I admit I had my doubts! Especially after my taste of it yesterday, it was kinda weird and flowery, I wasn't sure about the combination of the gin and earl grey.

However, I cracked it open today and added the syrup, and holy mackerel, it's great! I've now had one Earl Grey Gin with cream, one Earl Grey Gin Martini, and one Earl Grey Rum martini. I admit I am having a slightly difficult time typing this.

My reaction: Delicious!
My girlfriend's reaction: No. No. No.
My roommate's reaction: Wow, those flavors go really well together!

This is great, I think I should have picked up higher quality alcohols than I did. The only other change I think I will make next time is to leave out the sweetener entirely. I drink most teas with sugar, but Earl Grey I drink straight.

Thanks for sharing this! Here's a picture of my Earl Grey Rum Martini in the only martini glass I own. I don't normally like martinis at all, this may be the first time I've really enjoyed one.

I'm now thinking about infusing alcohols with other teas I like. My other favorite tea is Good Earth Original, I may try that out next time!

[mikeasaurus]

Glad you liked it!

I think your girlfriend might come around, a friend of mine wasn't excited about the first sip but was swigging from the bottle by the end of the night. I think the rum version has more potential to be mixed with other liquids (like juice) than the gin, but maybe I haven't tapped all the potential with the gin yet.

Experimenting with different tea/alcohol varieties/blends means there's an endless combinations to the variety. I'm not done with this recipe yet, I think there's plenty of room for experiments and improvement.

Thanks for trying it out, Ian. Nice Martini glass, by the way!

[depotdevoid]

Okay, it's steeping (both gin and rum). I'll report back in a day or two!

[dustinandrews]

When I make simple syrup with sugar I use 2:1 (by volume) sugar to water. It's crazy, but the sugar all dissolves.

[CobaltBlue]

Dustin, simple syrup is 1:1 by definition. The way you make it is called double syrup, and for some things it works better than simple syrup.

[dustinandrews]

Oh, good to know! I wonder how I learned it wrong?

[CobaltBlue]

Not everyone is as didactic as I am about terminology. ;)
I am often told, "Don't get so technical!" I just smile.

[DIY-Guy]

To the author: Well done! Delicicous concept.

To CobaltBlue:
"I am often told, "Don't get so technical!" I just smile."
Do you mind explaining your "I just smile" reaction? I'm often accused of the same technicalness and wonder how you deal with it. What are your internal thoughts when this happens? What is your coping mechanism?

I just started learning to give less details in replies to some people, but it's very unsatisfying.

Sincerely, DIY-Guy

[FoolishSage]

I've worked with sugar and it keeps surprising me how you can dissolve more than 1,5 kg of sugar in 1 kg of water without much trouble. I think it goes up to 2kg of sugar per kg of water if you are willing to put some effort into it :)