Bi Luo Chun Blossom Gin Cooler
Gin briefly infused with Bi Luo Chun, shaken with elderflower, lemon, and white peach—a spring-blossom cocktail as delicate as the tea itself.
Bi Luo Chun's defining trait is its blossom-and-orchard aroma, and gin's juniper-and-botanical backbone is the only spirit refined enough to support that delicacy without overwhelming it. Together they smell like a Chinese orchard in April.
Keep the infusion very short — just 20 minutes at room temperature. Bi Luo Chun is so easily over-extracted that even in gin, anything beyond 25 minutes turns harsh and grassy. The gin should pick up a pale jade tint and a floral nose, nothing more.
Elderflower liqueur amplifies the white-flower notes, white peach purée echoes the orchard, and lemon juice keeps the drink lifted. The result is a cocktail that drinks like a spring breeze through a teahouse window — light, perfumed, almost shy.
For a mocktail version, replace the gin with cold-brewed Bi Luo Chun concentrate (using the iced-tea recipe above) and replace the elderflower liqueur with an equal amount of elderflower cordial. Shake everything else as written. The mocktail is, honestly, almost as good as the real cocktail — the tea is the star either way.
Ingredients
- 60 ml dry London gin
- 2 tsp Bi Luo Chun loose leaf (for infusing)
- 20 ml elderflower liqueur (St-Germain)
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml white peach purée (fresh or canned, blended smooth)
- 5 ml light simple syrup
- Ice cubes
- Edible flower or basil leaf for garnish
How to make it
- 1Infuse the gin: combine the gin and Bi Luo Chun leaves in a small sealed jar. Let sit at room temperature for exactly 20 minutes, no longer.
- 2Strain the gin through a coffee filter or very fine sieve to remove every speck of leaf. The gin should be pale jade and smell of orchards.
- 3Combine the infused gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, peach purée, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- 4Shake hard for 8–10 seconds — just enough to chill and combine, not so long that you crush the delicate aromatics.
- 5Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass through a fine mesh sieve. Float an edible flower or a single basil leaf on the surface and serve immediately.
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