Smoked Tea Old Fashioned Mocktail

Before you start

An Old Fashioned is just spirit, sugar, bitters and an orange peel, stirred and served over a large cube. Whiskey brings smoke, oak and caramel. This original build replaces it with a strong, chilled concentrate of lapsang souchong, a Chinese black tea dried over pine smoke, plus a little demerara syrup for body and caramel notes.

Tea gets bitter and drying if it is over-steeped, so time it carefully. A brief stir over ice is all it needs, since the concentrate is already the strength you want. The orange peel adds aroma, and a pinch of salt helps the drink feel round and full without alcohol.

Ingredients

• 4 g (2 tsp) lapsang souchong loose tea — or 2 tea bags
• 120 ml (4 oz) water just off the boil — about 95°C (203°F)
• 15 ml (½ oz) demerara syrup (1:1)
• 2 dashes non-alcoholic aromatic bitters
• 1 small pinch fine salt
• 1 large ice cube
• 1 wide strip orange peel

Method

1. Steep the tea in the hot water for 4 minutes. It should be very dark and smell strongly of smoke. Longer steeping adds bitterness, not more flavor.
2. Strain the tea and chill it in the freezer or over an ice bath for about 15 minutes, until cold. Measure out 75 ml.
3. Add the chilled tea, demerara syrup, bitters and salt to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir for about 10 seconds.
4. Put the large cube in the rocks glass and strain the drink over it.
5. Squeeze the orange peel over the glass to release its oils, rub it on the rim and drop it in. Serve right away.

Tips for success

• A small amount of vanilla extract adds an oaky note, but it contains alcohol. Use a drop only if that is acceptable to the drinker.
• Lapsang varies a lot in smokiness. If yours is strong, blend it with an equal amount of plain black tea.
• Brew a larger batch of concentrate and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Substitutions

Lapsang souchong

A strong Assam or Ceylon tea gives a malty, unsmoked version. Add a pinch of smoked salt to keep a hint of smokiness.

Demerara syrup

Maple syrup adds a warm, woody sweetness that works well with smoke. Use 10 ml.

Non-alcoholic bitters

Use a pinch of finely grated orange zest and a clove in the steeping tea instead.

Variations

Cherry smoke

Swap the demerara syrup for syrup from a jar of good cocktail cherries and garnish with a cherry.

Spiced old fashioned

Add a cinnamon stick to the steeping tea and garnish with a strip of orange and a cinnamon stick.

Troubleshooting

It tastes bitter and drying

The tea was over-steeped or brewed too hot. Steep for 4 minutes only, then strain immediately.

It tastes thin

Add a little more syrup and the pinch of salt. Use a large cube and chill the tea well so it does not get diluted.

It tastes like an ashtray

The tea is very smoky. Mix it half and half with a regular black tea.

Storage

Serve immediately. The tea concentrate keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; its flavor turns stale after that. Demerara syrup keeps refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Safety notes

Black tea contains caffeine. A strong concentrate like this one may affect sensitive drinkers or sleep if served late; the FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults.