Teatini

Why This Recipe Works

The paths to a tea-based martini-style cocktail were many—with or without vermouth, combining vodka with cold-brewed or chilled hot-brewed tea, adding sweetener or aromatics—but we found that cocktails made using just our homemade Tea Liqueur and vodka featured the refreshingly astringent, bright tea flavor we were after. We attributed this to the extraction power of the vodka we used to make our Tea Liqueur; the tea flavors were much fuller and rounder than those of tea steeped with either hot or cold water. Once we ruled out additional flavoring ingredients, it was just a matter of fine-tuning the ratio of spirits to yield a full-flavored, well-balanced cocktail with just the right amount of sweetness. We liked a ratio of 2 parts vodka to 1 part Tea Liqueur, and since the liqueur already contained Simple Syrup, we did not need to add any other sweetener. A slice of lemon was all it took to finish off this simple yet elegant cocktail. But to add a touch of flair, worthy of taking tea at Kensington Palace, we gilded the rim of the glass with Vanilla Rim Sugar.