Mixologist Audrey Saunders created the MarTEAni at New York’s Pegu Club (a favorite New York City watering hole that sadly is no longer) to repopularize gin. As the name suggests, the use of tea is a delicious twist on the classic gin sour. The natural tannins from the tea blend harmoniously with the botanicals from the gin to create an aromatic infusion. As in other variations of the gin sour, the egg white foam adds rich creaminess that makes the drink a refreshing treat for an afternoon or pre-dinner cocktail.
Feel free to use whatever high-quality tea you have on hand. The original recipe calls for Earl Grey, which certainly doesn’t disappoint, but other teas will work equally as well. We paired a London Dry gin with the Earl Grey, which was a perfect match. If you want to intensify the tea flavor, try a navy strength gin, which has a higher alcohol content. Alternatively, depending on the tea you choose, a botanical rich gin may bring out the tea’s flavors. Once you’ve made your tea-infused gin, it’s hard to imagine ever going back to regular gin.
The MarTEAni
Ingredients
1½ oz tea-infused gin ½ oz rich syrup ¾ oz fresh lemon juice 1 egg white
Add all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker without ice and dry shake until the egg whites are frothy. Add ice and shake again. Double strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
To make a tea-infused gin, steep two high-quality Earl Grey or other tea bags into 1 ½ cups gin for one hour at room temperature. Remove and discard the tea bags. Avoid a longer infusion as that may bring out more of the bitter tannins.
For the concentrated or rich syrup, add 1 cup of sugar to ½ cup water. Heat the mixture over the stove on medium heat to dissolve all of the sugar and cool to room temperature. Store the syrup in an airtight bottle in the fridge.