Happy Sunday wanderers and welcome back to another post. Today I will be sharing with you a gin & tonic recipe using a tea called “Haze” from the shop, The Black Leaf Tea & Culture Shop.

This business is local to Providence, RI and is owned by Amber Jackson. Learn more about her and her mission here. I encourage you all to to make an effort to support small black owned businesses and purchase some of her delicious custom tea blends.

Ingredients

Haze tea blend
Sugar
Gin of choice
Lemon (for juice and garnish)
Tonic water
Ice

Firstly, you are going to want to brew 8 oz. of Amber’s tea to the package instructions. You can always add more tea leaves for added flavor and color. Once you have steeped and strained your Haze tea, you are going to use it to make a homemade simple syrup.

To create the simple syrup simmer 8 oz. of Haze tea and 8 oz. of water over a medium heat for about 30 minutes time. This creates enough simple syrup for around 10 cocktails, so it is not a process you need to do every time.

Gather your ingredients and prepare to make your cocktail. You can use a shaker or make it straight into the glass, it is up to your preference. I prefer to prepare it in the glass to enjoy watching the color changing properties of the butterfly pea flower. I used Citadelle gin which I verified was vegan by searching it on Barnivore.com.

First, I add the simple syrup to the glass. Next, add your desired amount of gin. Using room temperature liquor makes it easier to dissolve the simple syrup. Then add the juice of a lemon and enjoy the spectacle as your purple beverage transforms from a blue to pink hue. Finally, add ice, tonic water, and garnish with a lemon.

I prefer not to specify measurements as everyone has differing taste buds. Gin & tonics can range from a 1:1 to a 1:3 ratio depending on personal preferences.

The drink will be anywhere from a light pink to a purple color depending on how much Haze syrup you use. You can always use more syrup at the end for dramatic effect!

In the event that you do not have access to Haze tea, you can use Empress Gin which has butterfly pea flower in it, giving it the purple hue.

This recipe was inspired by Amber Jackson of @theblackleafpvd and Hannah Chamberlin of @spiritedla. You can view Amber’s tea infused cocktail demo here and Hannah’s gin & tonic recipe can be found here.

I hope you enjoyed this cocktail recipe!

Wander often & wonder always,