Another title for this post might’ve been “The Earl Grey MarTEAni Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Mix My Favorite Cocktail.”
I don’t know about you, but there are plenty drinks I love to order in bars and restaurants, but for some reason or another, never get around to attempting at home.
A delicate mixture of Earl Grey tea-infused gin, sugar, and lemon juice, shaken up with a deliciously frothy egg white, and garnished with finely-grated lemon zest, the Earl Grey MarTEAni had always been on the top of that list for me. But just this week, I finally rolled up my sleeves and gave it a try. And it all turned out to be easy.
The main reason I’d been holding off on this recipe for so long was the Earl Grey infusion. Up until now I’d never flavored my own alcohol, but after speaking to Mike Sherwood of Sub Rosa Spirits (see last week’s post), I felt inspired. Turns out, Earl Grey-infused gin is just about as easy to make as a pot of tea.
And the rest is simple too. Created by Audrey Saunders, the cocktail goddess behind all the delicious offerings at NYC’s Pegu Club, the Earl Grey MarTEAni is really just a riff on a basic sours recipe: Alcohol (in this case, the infused gin), sugar (in the form of simple syrup), and citrus juice (in this case, lemon). Egg white is added for volume and texture, and a mixture of grated lemon rind and granulated sugar rims the glass as a final touch.
The end product is a very delicate, almost contemplative, cocktail. Kind of like a cup of Earl Grey tea with sugar and lemon, except it’s cool and frothy and comes with a juniper-y gin kick. Really one of my most favorite drinks of all time.
If this sounds like the kind of cocktail you’d like, I urge you to try it. (The recipe can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle, as adapted by Gary Regan here). You’ll need a high-proof gin (Tanqueray is recommended), and the tea needs to steep in the alcohol 2 hours before it’s strained. Once that’s done, you can throw things together really quickly.
My Notes:
- Regan calls for 1 litre of gin and a 1/4 cup of loose tea, but I scaled things down, using a 375ml bottle of Tanqueray, and 3/4 ounces (or 1 1/2 Tbs) of tea. Rumor has it that the infusion will keep almost indefinitely in the fridge.
- For the sake of convenience, the lemon zest and sugar rimming mix should be made up ahead of time as well. This will keep a week in the fridge for subsequent batches. (Tips on rimming glasses here.)
- If you don’t have simple syrup on hand already, you can whip some up in a matter of minutes - just equal parts of sugar and water. (For full instructions, plus other uses once you've made yourself some, see our previous post at The Kitchn here.)
- If you’re squeamish about the egg white, you could leave it out, but I encourage you to give it a try. It’s all about texture and volume, it doesn’t affect flavor. (More on that in a previous post.)
Are there any cocktail recipes you’ve been meaning to try? Tell us! (And who knows, maybe you’ll end up mixing one up too, while you’re at it….)
- "The Cocktailian: Steeped in Fine Cocktail Lineage" (with a recipe for the Earl Grey Marteani), by Gary Regan for the San Francisco Chronicle
Related: Infused Vodkas (and DIY Tips!) from Sub Rosa Spirits
(Images: Nora Maynard)
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There are all sorts of lovely things one can concoct with gin. My favorite is the Martini, and it is made with gin, vermouth, and a green olive.
Please don't even joke about a Earl Grey MarTEAni. I've stopped ordering martinis out in public because invariably the waiter/waitress will ask, "A vodka martini or a gin martini?" which promptly makes me change my order to a gin and tonic.
In the old days I could wave to the bartender, and hold up four fingers on one hand, and one finger on the other hand, and the bartender would know what I meant. Because 4:1 is the perfect ratio for a martini. Four parts gin to one part vermouth. One green olive. Shake or stir with ice, strain and bring it to me while it is still so cold that it hurt to sip it. Sigh.</I>
Call it an Earl Grey Cocktail</I>, but please, I beg you, not an Earl Grey MarTEAni.
The "old days"? What decade are you referring to, the 40s?
If you like gin cocktails...try The Bee's Knees! I'm sure about the ratio, but it's lemon juice, honey syrup and gin. Simply divine and refreshing, especially in the summertime!
Oops! *not sure about the ratio
I'd never thought to combine my love of Twinings Earl Grey and Gin, but now I can't wait!
I've just suggested it to my sister as the beverage we should drink at our next bookclub night, it sounds perfect.
Thank You.
This is one of my favorite drinks.
SunnyBlue, this is an actual drink created by the Pegu Club bar in NY. It is, in fact, an Earl Grey MarTEAni. Since the people who invented it called it that, it's only proper. It's an amusing pun name rather than a strict entymological cocktail name variation. So think more along the lines of a Blue Blazer or Corpse Reviver rather than a Shrub/Skin/Cobbler/etc..
If you want to talk "old days" an Earl Grey Cocktail would be Earl Grey tea, syrup/sugar, and bitters. Maybe with a lemon rind to make it an Earl Grey Skin.
The infusion will keep pretty much indefinitely, you don't need to refrigerate it. The almost 50% alcohol of the Tanqueray is quite a preservative.
Personally I like to cut back the simple syrup to 3/4 of an ounce. If you want a really nice foam on this, do a dry shake first.
A dry shake is shaking the ingredients with the eggwhite and NO ICE. Do this for about 10 seconds, then add the ice and shake as normal.
On a side note, I'm a huge cocktail fan, but I can't stand when people get their ruff up over the vodka martini/gin martini thing in regular bars. I fully subscribe to the belief that a vodka martini is no martini at all, but most people don't know this so how should a waitress who's job it is to please the general public know this? In a serious cocktail bar I'd expect a response of "our martinis are made with gin, is that what you want?" I don't get my panties in a bunch if I order a Manhattan and the server doesnt immediately ask me if I want rye or bourbon.
And as long as we are talking Pegu Club cocktails, how about a look at the actual Pegu Club cocktail from the original Pegu Club in Burma back in the 30s. It's another fantastic gin based cocktail:
2 oz gin (something very forward, like a Junipero or Juniper Green, not a subtle one like Plymouth)
1/2 oz curacao (or other orange liqueur, but the best I've found is Curacao of Curacao, no coloring)
1/2 oz lime juice
1 dash orange bitters (I like Regans)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake and strain (I like to doublestrain, through the hawthorn strainer first and then through a mesh strainer to get all the pulp and ice shards out).
Max, my panties are in a bunch so often that it's starting to feel normal.
Thank you for the clarification on the Earl Gray MarTEAni and an Earl Grey Cocktail. I won't be drinking either one, because oil of bergamot smells too much like hair tonic for my taste, but it would be a dull world indeed, if we all drank the same thing.
To tell the truth, I'm about ready to start ordering Beefeater on the rocks and be done with it :)
You've hot the right idea Sunnyblue. If I don't know the skill of the bartenders is up to snuff my default is Turkey on the rocks.
Wow, I love Earl Grey Tea, but never thought about mixing it with a cocktail. I'm not too keen on the eggwhite, but may try this anyway! Sounds fantastic!
Oh my gosh. I love the Earl Grey MarTEAni at the Pegu Club. I will definitely be trying this recipe at home.
Thank you!