Photo by Esther Tseng

Rum

Mo-High-Tea

by Joe Brooke

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 oz. Caña Brava rum
  • 1 oz. Black Tea Simple Syrup*
  • 1 oz. Lemon Juice
  • 5-8 Leaves Lemon Verbena, Muddled
  • 2 oz. Soda Water
  • Lemon Verbena Leaves and/or Flowers, for Garnish

Preparation

  1. Gently muddle leaves in glass with syrup and lemon juice.
  2. Add rum, soda, and ice.
  3. Stir and garnish with 2-3 leaves.

Description

Joe Brooke gives us a cocktail featuring lemon verbena and black tea simple syrup, dubbed the “Mo-High-Tea”. Imparting his requirement that “a Mojito should be light,” the recipe blends lemon verbena, an under-utilized flowering plant with the herbal properties of tea, and the tropical notes of Caña Brava rum. At first glance, it seems as though the obvious cues (mint and citrus) are missing, until you realize that they really aren’t.

*Black Tea Simple Syrup


Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tea bags
  • Sugar

Preparation

  1. Boil water, steep tea for 5 minutes.
  2. Remove bags and reduce by 50 percent.
  3. Add equal parts (by weight) sugar.
  4. Make sure the tea syrup is super-flavorful, borderline tannic and bitter.

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