An Earl Grey Gin cocktail sounds very posh and British doesn’t it? And why wouldn’t it, it’s the merging of two very classic British ingredients – Earl Grey tea and gin. In this recipe, we’ve put a little twist on the classic and used a Japanese gin to make a Roku Gin cocktail with Earl Grey.
Where does Earl Grey get its name?
Like most things British, Earl Grey tea has a very interesting history. It’s thought to be named after the 2nd Earl Grey who was prime minister in the 1830s. It’s essentially a black tea flavoured with bergamot orange fruit, giving it that distinctive floral scent.
There are many different stories as to how the concoction came to be. The most believable is that bergamot was used to flavour the tea at the Earl Grey household to offset the taste of lime in the local water. It proved to be so popular with guests, Lady Grey requested it be made to sell. Which is how Twinings ended up with a new product in their lineup!
Earl Grey Roku Gin Cocktail
Earl Grey tea has remained popular to this day and its floral notes means it’s often used in desserts and drinks. Like in this recipe!
I often brew Earl Grey as a mid-afternoon pick me up if I’m too lazy to make a masala chai. This time, I paired it gin, one of my favourite spirits, as a night-time pick me up.
We’d recently bought a bottle of Roku Gin at Dan Murphy’s. It was a long time since we’d bought spirits at a liquor store instead of at duty free and the price difference was painful!
Luckily Roku gin was on special and as we’re fans of Suntory, having visited Yamazaki Distillery when we were in Japan in 2018, we got a bottle.
Roku gin has more pronounced floral and citrus-y notes with Sakura flower and yuzu peel as defining flavour notes.
We’d tried with good ol’ tonic water but it felt like we could do Roku gin more justice by finding something more flavourful to go with it.
Of course, Earl Grey tea turned out to be the perfect accompaniment because of it’s own floral notes which amplified and enhanced the same notes in Roku gin.
How to make a Earl Grey Roku Gin Cocktail
It’s really quite easy to put this cocktail together. All you need is Earl Grey tea, gin, juice from half a lemon, honey and a cocktail shaker.
Note: While this recipe uses Roku gin, most brands will work as most gins have floral and fruity botanicals which is why Earl Grey gin cocktails are so popular.
First brew the tea and importantly, let it cool down! A warm gin cocktail is not very appealing.
Once it’s cooled down enough, get your shaker and add all the ingredients to it along with a handful of ice cubes. Smaller ice cubes will work better as it’ll cool the drink down a lot quicker and you’ll have to shake a lot less.
And then get to shakin’! Shake till you can’t hear the rattle of ice cubes and the shaker is cool to touch. Then, get your fancy glass of choice and pour the drink out over a large ice cube.
Cocktail Garnish Ideas
Garnish with lemon and mint and there you have it! Your night-time (or afternoon) pick me up. A few slices of Fuji apples would also work perfectly as a garnish if they happen to be in season.
The sweetness of the apples works really well with the cocktail. Plus, the apples soak up the alcohol and feel like an extra treat after you’ve finished your drink.
You can see from the pictures that my Earl Grey Roku Gin cocktail is quite dark. That’s because I brewed my tea for longer so the cocktail has a slightly bitter note. If you prefer your cocktails on the sweeter side, then brew for less time and double the honey used in the recipe.
Hope you enjoy! If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Craving more treats? You won’t go wrong with my sticky date cookie recipe.
Ingredients
- 60ml Roku Gin (2 x Australian standard shots)
- 240ml Earl Grey tea
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 tsp honey
- Handful of small ice cubes
- 2 large ice cubes
- Mint (garnish)
- Lemon (garnish)
Method
- Brew the Earl Grey tea. I brewed a whole pot of tea, using two tablespoons of loose Earl Grey tea leaves. You can also steep two tea bags in 240ml of hot water.
- Once the tea has cooled, add the tea, gin, lemon, honey and small ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. Shake till you no longer hear the rattle of ice cubes and the shaker is cold to touch.
- Place one large ice cube into each glass, and pour cocktail out.
- Add your garnish of choice.
- Enjoy!
Notes
1. You can see from the pictures that my Earl Grey gin cocktail is quite dark. That's because I brewed my tea for longer so the cocktail has a slightly bitter note. If you prefer your cocktails on the sweeter side, then brew for less time and double the honey used in the recipe. 2. While this recipe uses Roku gin, any brand will work as most gins have floral and fruity botanicals which is why Earl Grey gin cocktails are so popular. 3. Fuji apples are another great option for a garnish.