'Bitter Earth' Cocktail

Jean-François Desaulniers presents us with this festive cocktail that offers a perfect balance between fruity, pleasantly acidic, a subtle bite of bitter and the rich earthy tones of aged tea.  Sommelier Jean-François worked behind the tea bar in our Latin Quarter teahouse and specializes in a style of cocktails with less sweetness and more complexity.  He won the Canadian Tea Master’s Cup in Mixology in 2019.

Ingredients

• 3 oz of Pu Er Sheng 2009 Badashan* chilled (we recommend an 8hr cold infusion of 2.5g per 250ml water.  If you don’t have time a hot infusion cooled on ice works).
• ¾ oz cranberry juice
• 2 oz kombucha Rise Hibiscus and Rose
• ½ oz Campari**
• 1 to 2 drops of fleur d’oranger

Preparation

Mix all ingredients and serve on ice in a 10oz ‘Highball’ glass. Garnish with zeste of grapefruit or a slice of orange.

*We recommend the Pu Er Sheng 2009 Badashan for aromatic balance. You could substitute with another Pu er with a strong earthy character.

** for an alcohol-free version , simply replace the Campari with a few drops of orange bitters.