Module11 – Tea Mixology

Introduction to Tea and Mixology

Cocktails have been around since the early 1800’s and regardless of it dipping in popularity for a bit, it is now on the rise to fame again. The art of making cocktails has spread out all over the world and a top-class restaurant or hotel can no longer do without a good cocktail bar. All over the world bartenders are constantly creating new drinks, discovering and rediscovering old and new ingredients.

In 1806 cocktails were defined for the first time as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”. Right from the onset, this first definition exposes the possibilities tea has when it comes to cocktails. Tea is 99% water and can be infused with a variety of flavours, so it was a naturally only a matter of time before tea would turn up in recipes. In 1862 the first ever published cocktail guide, “The bon vivant companion” written by Jerry “The Professor” Thomas, the use of tea in cocktails is first documented, although mostly in Punches. The Punch is considered to be the mother of the cocktail and goes back to the 1600’s. Cocktail historian and author of “Imbibe” and “Punch” David Wondrich found a few punch recipes using tea such as “The punch à la Regent” from 1756. Undocumented tales already talk about a traditional welcome drink in South-East Asia combining green tea and a form of arrack in the 1400’s. Tea has a long history with mixology, and today tea is again a popular ingredient in the modern bartender’s arsenal.