Uva Highball with Smoked Bitters
A tall, brisk highball built on Uva Ceylon-infused gin and soda — the tea's pungent, menthol-eucalyptus edge replaces the botanicals you'd normally need.
Uva Ceylon's pungent, wine-like profile and natural menthol-eucalyptus aromatics make it an unusually good infusing tea for spirits — it behaves a bit like a built-in botanical, doing work that would normally take juniper, cardamom, or eucalyptus leaf in a gin botanical mix.
Infusing gin with Uva for just 20–30 minutes is enough; this tea is strong, and over-infusing pulls excessive tannin into the spirit, turning the drink astringent instead of complex. A short, controlled infusion keeps the gin's own juniper character intact while layering in Uva's brisk, cooling brightness.
A few dashes of aromatic or orange bitters deepen the drink without competing, while soda water and a long pour over ice keep the highball light, tall, and genuinely refreshing rather than heavy — ideal for sipping slowly over a warm evening.
For a non-alcoholic version, skip the gin infusion and instead brew Uva tea extra strong, chill it fully, and top with soda water, a few dashes of orange bitters, and a long lime twist. You get the same brisk, aromatic highball character — pungent, bright, faintly cooling — without the alcohol.
Ingredients
- 50 ml gin
- 2 tsp loose-leaf Uva Ceylon tea
- 100 ml soda water, chilled
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 tsp simple syrup (optional)
- Lime twist, for garnish
- Ice cubes
How to make it
- 1Infuse the gin: combine gin and Uva tea leaves in a jar. Let infuse 20–30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve.
- 2Fill a tall highball glass with ice.
- 3Pour in the Uva-infused gin and simple syrup (if using). Add the orange bitters.
- 4Top with chilled soda water and stir gently once.
- 5Garnish with a long lime twist and serve immediately.
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