Shrubs require only three ingredients: fruit, sugar, and vinegar—although it could be argued that the Babylonians' date vinegar-and-water drink was an early shrub, and that has only one of the three listed ingredients. Regardless, today we recognize a shrub as a fruity vinegary drink that may or may not include alcohol and that can incorporate … Continue reading Add Tea to Your Fruit Shrubs!
I began our family road trip as any tea-lover would do: with a travel mug of a favorite tea that I made before we left. Farther along on the trip, however, I found a dearth of tea options. But no worries, right? After all, we were in wine country! Where—when sampling wines at Dr. Konstantin … Continue reading Wine and Tea: Commonalities Beyond Terroir
Tea cocktails are quite the rage these days, with good reason! Tea's complexity and astringency—along with the dizzying number of teas available—make it a natural when combined with alcohol. (See my earlier post about blending.) However, there is nothing 21st-century about using tea in boozy drinks. Granted, the word "cocktail" was coined as recently as … Continue reading Alcohol + Tea = Delightful!
So finally I'm getting to the good stuff, the actual tea cocktails! Phil of Mammoth Distilling and Lisa of TeaHaus concocted five fantastic cocktails, all including tea. These drinks were first introduced at Mammoth's Traverse City location, at a TeaHaus Takeover event. A tasting at TeaHaus followed, with light food paired to each cocktail—and tea … Continue reading Tea Cocktails, Part 4: Paired with Food
For most of us, aging is not something that we happily embrace. For many liquors, however, aging and maturation are not only required—they're transformative, creating something fine, valuable, even rare. And as with all the previous steps I've looked at in the alcohol producing and distillation processes, aging and maturation are both science and art. … Continue reading Tea Cocktails, Part 3: Aging the Alcohol
The more you know about something, chances are the more you appreciate it. For me, I've never been much for distilled liquors, generally preferring a glass of wine. However, after watching Phil of Mammoth Distilling and Lisa of TeaHaus concoct incredible tea cocktails (see Part 1 for intro) and then having a tour of Mammoth Distilling, I've … Continue reading Tea Cocktails, Part 2: Producing the Alcohol
Follow the recipe? Or make it up as you go? When I find, for instance, a recipe that results in a killer cake, I can happily make it forever with little change. Why mess it up? But this sort of mindset doesn't advance culinary innovation. And it also runs counter to our own human nature. As Professor … Continue reading Tea Cocktails, Part 1: The Blending
