Soldier's March

MIXOLOGY RECIPE

Soldier's March

Red and gold clad soldiers march to the staccato beat of Tchaikovsky.

A natural pairing with its smooth and creamy palate, Nutcracker tea infused in Maker’s Mark bourbon allows for an extra layer of depth within the cocktail, while a Nutcracker infused simple syrup brings out sweet notes of vanilla.

Notes from Christina Mercado, Mixologist at Vanderbilt Grace:

“Infusing the Maker’s Mark bourbon helps bring out the notes of the tea, rather than only using a tea syrup or the steeped tea in the cocktail directly. We took three days to infuse the tea – you want the sweet notes and astringency of the black tea, but not the bitterness.”

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Soldier's March

1 ¼ Oz. Maker’s Mark infused with TEALEAVES Nutcracker Loose Leaf Tea (see below)
¾ Oz. Nutcracker Tea Simple Syrup (see below)
¼ Oz. Evaporated Milk
1 Oz. TEALEAVES Nutcracker Loose Leaf Tea, steeped
1 Tsp. Malt Powder
½ Oz. Orgeat
½ Oz. Grand Marnier

Maker's Mark Infused with Nutcracker Tea

⅕ Oz. TEALEAVES Nutcracker Loose Leaf Tea
6 Oz. Maker’s Mark Whiskey

Nutcracker Simple Syrup

2 Tsp. TEALEAVES Nutcracker Loose Leaf Tea
1 Cup Hot Water, 210ºF
2 Cups Sugar

Instructions

Soldier's March

Infuse Maker’s Mark with Nutcracker tea.
Make the Nutcracker simple syrup (see recipe below).
Mix all the ingredients together.
Serve.

Maker's Mark Infused with Nutcracker Tea

Combine the tea leaves with the Maker’s Mark and allow to steep for 48-72 hours (to taste) at room temperature.
Quickly shake the mixture after the first 12 hours.
Taste the mixture every 12 hours to ensure the infusion doesn’t become too tannic.
Double strain the tea, and store the whiskey.
When straining the tea, do not press the tea, as this will release bitter tannins.

Nutcracker Simple Syrup

Steep 2 tsp of TEALEAVES Nutcracker Loose Leaf Tea in 1 cup of water (210ºF is ideal) for 2-3 minutes.
Strain.
Combine the sugar and steeped tea, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Let cool.

Notes

In time for the holidays, TEALEAVES, in a collaboration with 15+ ballet companies, 10+ luxury hotel partners, and an antiquarian horologist, launched the worldwide Nutcracker #AfternoonTEALEAVES: Gifts of Time initiative. The project is a twist to the traditional gift guide that offers experiential pairings to afternoon tea, themed after the story of the Nutcracker, and celebrates the arts, true craftsmanship, and spending quality time with others.

Piece together your real-life Nutcracker fairytale and explore various ‘Gifts of Time’. Journey to Nutcracker.AfternoonTEALEAVES.com.