Fall is officially here. There is frost in the morning and more leaves are on the ground than on the trees. I must admit that as much as I love fall weather I dread the winter and find myself trying to cling to summer. Fortunately, we are blessed in Boulder with warm sunshine, and our fall days can be simply perfect. I decided to embrace the lovely fall weather by putting a tea-infused twist on my favorite summer cocktail, a gin and tonic.
I started off by making 3 types of tea: cold-brewed Sweet Melody, iced Ginger Peach, and iced Lady Lavender. For the gin I used Spring 44, from a local Boulder distillery. I also had some mixers to add, including soda water, lemonade, and ginger beer.
My beautiful collection of iced tea and gin.
Some different flavors to spice up our drinks!
I had two lovely testers to help me out and together we tried 6 or 7 different combinations. We all decided on 3 clear winners:
Sweet Melody Spritzer: The tangy hibiscus and sweet licorice went perfectly with the floral gin, and the lemon soda water added a nice bubbly sensation. Here is the recipe:
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 3 oz Sweet Melody Iced Tea
- 3 oz Lemon Soda Water
- Ice
Gin-Ginger Arnold Palmer: We put a twist on the traditional iced tea and lemonade beverage by using Ginger Peach iced tea and making it a delicious cocktail… perfect for the golf course! Here’s how we made it:
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 3 oz Iced Ginger Peach
- 3 oz Lemonade
- Ice
Lady Lavender Twist: At first we just tried mixing the iced Lady Lavender with the gin, but it seemed watered down and needed a little sweetener. We added a splash of lemonade, and voila! A delightful floral combination! The bergamot and lavender mixed perfectly with the gin, and the lemonade added just the right amount of sugar and a dash of citrus! We used:
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 4 oz Lady Lavender
- 2 oz Lemonade
- Ice
These drinks hit the perfect spot between winter and summer, and we enjoyed them on the patio to soak up some of the last rays of golden sunshine!
Cheers to friends, Fall, and TEA!
