Chemistry doesn't ever come to mind when I brew a cup of tea, but the process is indeed chemistry:
I extract the chemical compounds from the tea leaves and transfer them into the hot water. In this case, the type of extraction is infusion, which simply means that I steep the leaves in water (the solvent) to allow the flavors and complexity of that plant material to transfer into that water.
But tea leaves will infuse into just about any liquid that you put them in—including spirits!
Thus, you can easily infuse your favorite spirit with your favorite tea and use that infusion to create unique cocktails. Although many tea cocktail recipes simply use brewed tea as an ingredient, infusing your spirits with tea adds layers of flavor and complexity that will take your cocktail to the next level. Infusions take little effort and the rewards are substantial.
Lisa (TeaHaus, Ann Arbor) recently demonstrated how this is done at the World Tea Expo (see also the Mixology chapter by Phil Attee in our book Tea for Dummies). Here, she simply pours loose tea leaves into Mammoth Distilling vodka.
As Phil explains in our book, you should keep several things in mind when you make a tea-infused spirit:
- Tea infuses into alcohol faster than it infuses into water
- The higher the alcohol content, the greater the extraction and flavor intensity
- Medium-proof spirits (80–100 proof alcohol, 40–50% alcohol by volume) mean you're using both water and alcohol as solvents so you'll get more flavor, more quickly (infused spirits and liqueurs)
- High-proof spirits (over 120 proof) will result in a highly concentrated infusion (tinctures and bitters)
Medium-proof spirits work the best to make tea-infused spirits, and even within this range, the higher the alcohol level, the faster the infusion.
Be aware as well that some teas infuse more quickly than others—you don't want to over extract the leaves because they'll grow bitter. Start with 2–3 tablespoons of tea for 750 milliliters of spirts and infuse for 2 hours at room temperature. You can always infuse the leaves a bit longer if you decide you want greater flavor intensity.
Note the depth of color after only 1 hour of infusing black tea leaves (indicated by arrows) in this originally colorless vodka:
You aren't limited to tea leaves either. Fruit, herbal, and other non-Camellia sinensis teas are also great choices. These are less prone to over-extraction and therefore can be infused for 2 to 24 hours at room temperature, using about 2–5 tablespoons of tea for every 750 milliliters of spirts. If you use less tea, you'll need a longer infusion time.
After you've infused your spirits, use them as you normally would to make your cocktail—you'll love the additional depth of flavor that the tea has contributed.
And don't be afraid to experiment. There are so many different teas, each with their own flavor profile. Peruse your teas and use your imagination!
