Enjoy this Twist on a Tom Collins: Tea Collins Summer Cocktail Recipe

This summer is incredibly important for many foodservice operators across the country. With patios opening earlier this month in Ontario, restaurants are keen to make the most of the warm weather. With this in mind, owners may need to engineer their menu to ensure that their menu items meeting consumer demand, and are priced appropriately for a positive bottom line.

Taking a look at how you leverage and repurpose low-cost ingredients, like tea, to meet consumer tastes and demand for the summer, bar professional Josh Mellet developed this recipe for a twist of a Tom Collins. Featured on the most recent cover of MENU Mag, this cocktail is a tea-infused take on a classic drink. Josh Mellet was also the winner of the 2021 Beyond the Rail Competition at RC Show 2021.

Ingredients:

1.5oz London dry gin
0,25oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
0.25oz toasted chamomile honey syrup
0.5oz lemon juice
0.75oz black tea cordial
Add ice and top with soda
Stir ingredients in a glass
Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon peel

Method:

Toasted Chamomile Honey Syrup

• In a saucepan toast 2.5g of chamomile

• In a saucepot, combine 500ml of filtered water with the toasted chamomile and bring to a light simmer

• Leave the chamomile on medium heat for 10-15min (try to not go over 65 degrees celsius or you risk the dried botanicals becoming bitter)

• Once the time is up, turn off the heat and add to the pot 250g of granulated sugar, 250g of honey, and a pinch of salt

• Stir until dry ingredients are completely dissolved

• Fine strain the syrup (removing the chamomile flowers), bottle, and store in the fridge until needed

The syrup should last up to 3 weeks if kept sealed and in the fridge

Black Tea Cordial

• In a saucepot, combine 500ml of filtered water with 4.5g of black tea, 1g of cloves, and 1g of allspice berries (dried) and bring to a light simmer

• Lave the tea mixture on medium heat for 15-20min (try not to go over 65 degrees celsius or you risk the dried botanicals becoming bitter)

• Once the time is up, turn off the heat and add to the pot 200g of granulated sugar, 5g of citric acid, and 1g of Maldon salt

• Stir until dry ingredients are completely dissolved

• Fine Strain the cordial (removing the tea leaves and botanicals), bottle, and store in the fridge until needed

The cordial should last up to 15 days if kept sealed and in the fridge.