Tea + Marmalade Brunch Martini
This cheery tea and marmalade brunch martini will make a great addition to your holiday breakfast table.
Prefer to wait until 5pm? No problem – it works just as well with appetizers or salty snacks. Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of this post for some ideas, part of this month’s Progressive Eats menu!
We try to take a trip for our anniversary every year. It’s usually something small – a quick drive down to New York City or a pop up to Montreal. Last year, we went to Burlington. We had a great weekend, but one of the highlights was brunch at The Gryphon. I chose the restaurant solely based on the fact that they served an Earl Grey brunch martini (you know how much I love tea-infused cocktails) but the rest of the menu definitely held it’s own. Fried green tomato Benedict over buttermilk biscuits? To. Die. For.
The martini was everything I hoped for. The combination of tea, gin, and marmalade was delightfully British and the flavors worked together perfectly. The marmalade gives this cocktail a hint of sweetness without being too sweet, and the tea-infused gin definitely packs the punch that you’d expect in a martini. This is definitely the kind of drink you sip slowly and enjoy with food.
It would be perfect for your Christmas brunch, a fancy cocktail party (it works just as well with a cheese plate or appetizers as it does with eggs), or as a drink to toast (or mourn) the royal engagement with.
As much as I love Earl Grey, I actually prefer using English Breakfast tea when I make this tea and marmalade brunch martini at home. Using English Breakfast results in a cocktail that’s less dry and puckery than Earl Grey, and the botanicals in the gin can shine without competing with those in the tea.
Because there are less botanicals, I stir the gin into the cocktail at the end; shaking it can cause the perfume-y notes to dissipate quickly, leaving you with a blah drink. You could stir the whole thing, but I love the icy shards that are characteristic of a shaken martini, so I shake the lemon juice and marmalade together to get the best of both worlds.
Ingredients
For the tea-infused gin
- 1 cup gin
- 3 black tea bags such as English breakfast
For each martini
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 2 ounces tea-infused gin
- Ice
Instructions
- Combine the gin and tea bags in a jar. Cover and let steep 3-4 hours. Strain.
- For each cocktail, add lemon juice and orange marmalade to a shaker. Fill halfway with ice and shake vigorously. Add 2 ounces of tea-infused gin and stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass.
This tea and marmalade brunch martini is part of this month’s Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Our menu this month features terrific cocktail, appetizer and dessert recipes fit for an elegant cocktail party! All perfect for your entertaining needs during the holidays! Hosting this month is Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
An Elegant Cocktail Party
Cocktails
Tea and Marmalade Brunch Martini from Healthy-Delicious
Candy Cane Martini from The RedHead Baker
Appetizers
Beef Crostini with Blue Cheese Spread from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Pimento Cheese Stuffed Grits Arancini from Pastry Chef Online
Spicy Cheddar Herb Palmiers from Mother Would Know
Desserts
Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting from Creative Culinary
Cranberry Panna Cotta from Spice Roots
Cheers!
I am new to the homemade cocktail game and don’t own a cocktail shaker. Luckily, my cousin, a former bartender, told me to just go ahead and use a jar with a tight cover in place of the shaker. That means I can head to the liquor store for the gin and rest easy knowing that my brunch game just went up a notch!
This is a sexy beverage, Lauren! Cheers!
What a unique, yet fabulous martini! You’ve convinced me I need to get to VT and check out The Gryphon!
This sounds fabulous. And I hear you, sometimes I also choose a restaurant based on what they are doing with teas.