Each year, Torontonians collectively brace themselves for that bleak and slushy monstrosity called winter. Although it has yet to gnash its ugly teeth, we know it’s coming, and there’s nothing like a little sippable warmth to combat the winter blues. Our favourite forms include soup, tea and of course, spirits. Lucky for us, those latter two seasonal fix-me-ups are steeping the city’s drink lists with a wide range of flavours, giving us one more reason to drag ourselves up and out this January.
Apart from familiar concoctions like the Blueberry Tea (Grand Marnier and Amaretto with English Breakfast tea), the Ice Pick (vodka and iced tea) and the Long Island Iced Tea (which contains nary a trace of actual tea), the ritual drink of British grandmothers may seem like an unusual cocktail component to some.
But for Michelle Tham, a cocktail consultant and member of the board of directors for the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, tea is just another colourful palette addition for craft bartenders and mixologists to play with.
“Bartenders, especially those who are serious about their craft, take an interest in beverages as a whole. Tea is kind of another component of that,” she says. “We’re always searching for ways to further ourselves in complexity and creating new flavour profiles, and tea has a lot of complexity.”
Tham recently developed a list of tea cocktails for an exclusive Yelp Speakeasy Tea Event hosted by Herbal Infusions, where she mixed up cocktails like the Lomi Lomi Tea-ki Tiki, which marries Lomi Lomi’s lemon grass, hibiscus, papaya, chamomile, banana and pineapple notes with rum, resulting in a refreshing piña colada hybrid.
Dan Johanis, owner of Herbal Infusions, agrees that tea has its place behind the bar.
“Tea is one of those ingredients that brings a lot of flavour to the table,” he says. “It pairs well with many spirits, and depending on how it has been finished, the tannins really can change or enhance the overall flavour profile of a drink.”
Given that we live in a metropolis that places a premium on flavour experiences, titillating Toronto’s tastebuds is a challenge that more than ever demands creativity and vision. As non-traditional and global ingredients become staples in the city’s best kitchens, so too are they carving out a place behind the bar.
Here’s where to drink up some boozy tea:
Over at Brassaii, bar manager and resident mixologist Jordan Stacey puts a bright twist on the champagne of Indian teas, Darjeeling —which, similar to the famous French sparkling wine, can only be grown and produced in a specific terroir — with the Long Winding Road ($14, pictured above). Combining a darjeeling tea reduction with gin, Pimm’s No. 1, yuzu and citrus bitters, garnished with mint, the result is lively and fresh.
From team Boehmer, there’s the Hells Bells ($12), a mixture of black tea, Calvados, Akvavit, sweet vermouth, allspice syrup and egg yolk. It’s tea flipped and smacked with warmth and spice.
Kensington Market’s Cold Tea does a tannic twist on The Last Word, which creator Matthew LaRochelle has dubbed Monk Juice ($10) in reference to the cocktail’s Chartreuse component. It mingles with gin, Cherry Heering and green tea syrup for subtle depth.
Behind the stick at Czehoski, Robin Goodfellow mixes up a mean Winter Jack-it ($12) that’ll melt the cockles of your frosty heart. A hot cocktail made from lemon ginger tea, Jack Daniels, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, vanilla syrup, citrus and cinnamon, topped with ginger beer, the Jack-it will wrap you in a warm flavour blanket and give you a honeyed kiss goodnight.