English Afternoon Tea Pimm's Cup

The Pimm's Cup is the official drink of British summer—Wimbledon centre court, Henley regatta, every garden party from Cornwall to Yorkshire. The original is built on Pimm's No. 1, a gin-based liqueur infused with herbs and citrus. Adding cold-brewed English Afternoon as the base transforms it from a cocktail into something deeper, more tea-room and afternoon-shadow.

Cold-brew the tea overnight to preserve the Darjeeling florals—they need to be alive to play with the herbal liqueur. Use a strong concentrate: three tea bags in two cups of water. You want the tea to be assertive enough to stand up to the Pimm's and the lemonade.

The garnishes are part of the drink. Cucumber slices, strawberry halves, orange wheels, fresh mint—they're not decoration, they're flavor. Each piece releases something into the glass as you drink, so the cocktail evolves through the hour. Use a wooden spoon to gently push them under the ice from time to time.

For a mocktail version, replace the Pimm's with a 50/50 mix of cold-brewed English Afternoon and ginger ale. Add a splash of orange juice and a few dashes of orange bitters for the herbal backbone. The fruit and herb garnishes do most of the work—you genuinely won't miss the alcohol, and it's exactly as picnic-perfect as the original.