There’s nothing more Southern than a Mason jar full of sweet tea, and there’s nothing more New Orleans than adding a healthy dose of liquor to it. So naturally, this sweet tea-inspired cocktail is a refreshing drink to enjoy on a summer afternoon, made even more pleasurable by the addition of a shot of gin. Make a batch of the lavender black tea simple syrup and store it in the fridge so that you’ll be able to throw together these drinks all week long.
Sparkling Lavender + Black Tea Gin Cocktail (“Sweet Tea Cocktail”)
Prep time 30 min. Makes one cocktail
What:
1 1/2 oz gin
1 oz black tea and lavender syrup (recipe below)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Club soda
Lemon slices and mint for garnish
How:
Fill a Mason jar or Collins glass with cracked ice and set aside. Add the lemon juice, syrup, and gin to a metal shaking tin, fill with ice and shake until the shaking tin has frosted over, about 15 - 20 seconds. Strain the contents into the prepared glass and top with soda. Garnish with lemon and mint.
Black Tea and Lavender Syrup
What:
2 tablespoons loose black tea
4 tablespoons dried whole lavender blossoms
2 cups of granulated sugar
How:
Place the tea and lavender in a heat-proof mixing bowl and set aside. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a tea kettle and pour the water over the mixture of tea and lavender and let steep for 10 minutes. Once the tea has steeped, strain out the solids and transfer lavender black tea to a saucepan over medium heat and combine with 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the syrup from heat and let cool before using in a cocktail or refrigerating (otherwise, it'll crystallize in the fridge). The syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
