Aged Pu-erh Old Fashioned
A woody, dried-fruited aged Sheng pu-erh reduction stands in for simple syrup in this Old Fashioned riff — a slow-sipping cocktail for a slow-aged tea, with a full mocktail version alongside.
Aged Sheng pu-erh's dried-fruit, woody, faintly smoky character makes it a natural match for brown spirits. This riff on the Old Fashioned replaces the usual simple syrup with a concentrated pu-erh-brown-sugar syrup, letting the tea's aged complexity fold into the drink the way a good bitters would, but with more body.
Bourbon or a lightly aged rum both work well here — either has its own barrel-derived vanilla and caramel notes that meet the tea's dried-date and camphor character halfway. Whichever base spirit you choose, keep the pour modest; this is a sipping drink meant to be nursed slowly, much like the tea itself.
A single large ice cube is important, not just aesthetic — it melts slowly, diluting the drink gently over twenty or thirty minutes rather than watering it down quickly, mirroring the unhurried pace of an aged-tea tasting.
For a non-alcoholic version, replace the spirit with a good non-alcoholic dark spirit alternative or simply more of the pu-erh syrup topped with a splash of soda water. The tea's own aged complexity carries plenty of depth on its own — you won't miss the alcohol as much as you'd expect, and it makes an equally fitting after-dinner sipper.
Ingredients
- 45ml bourbon or lightly aged rum
- 15ml aged pu-erh–brown sugar syrup (recipe below)
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- 1 large ice cube
- Orange peel, for garnish
- For the syrup: 1/2 cup strongly brewed aged Sheng pu-erh + 1/2 cup brown sugar, simmered 5 minutes and cooled
How to make it
- 1Brew the pu-erh very strong (double the usual leaf), simmer with brown sugar 5 minutes until syrupy, then cool completely.
- 2Add bourbon or rum, 15ml of the cooled pu-erh syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- 3Stir (don't shake) for 20–30 seconds until well chilled.
- 4Strain over one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- 5Express an orange peel over the drink and drop it in as garnish.
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