Steeped earl grey with flavors of black tea and hints of bergamot infused with sweet lavender, fresh lemon and smooth bourbon. Earl Grey Lavender Bourbon Punch is an easy batch cocktail for your next afternoon gathering.
If it's ok to drink bottomless mimosas for breakfast, can we please welcome - with arms wide open - this earl grey bourbon punch for lunch? Or brunch. Happy hour, perhaps? Really, any time would just be fab, thanks.
This post is sponsored by Stash Tea. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Ok, ok, maybe you need a few more reasons. Even if you don't, here's some points as to why you should be putting the kettle on to make this big batch cocktails and invite your real friends over - the ones that could give two hoots what the state of your house is.
- 'Party Size' recipe for 10 guests or more
- Super fragrant tea - think black tea, bergamot and citrus fruits
- Mild pick me up of caffeine without coffee jitters
- Sweet, slightly floral lavender
- Classic iced tea and lemon flavor pairing
- Just the right amount of bourbon, so you can enjoy the tea without spilling it 😉
Those are all reasons we can get on board with, right? Best of all its really not complicated, and when you're having company at the house we need more things that are not complicated. There's enough stress wondering if anyone is going to open that closet that's got all the things shoved in it, we should be able to lighten the load some where else.
How to Make Earl Grey Lavender Bourbon Punch
Do you have a tea kettle? There's something so ritualistic about putting the kettle on to boil. As though your body knows that blissful tea zen status is almost here. Stash Tea's Earl Grey blend certainly adds to that impending tea nirvana. The aromas hit you the minute you open the package. After steeping you'll have this beautiful, but not overpowering black tea with delightfully fragrant citrus. I am a big fan.
If you can fit 2 quarts of water in your kettle by all means you can take that approach. Or you can go the hackers route and set the water to boil in a large pot.
Whenever I'm making a large batch of tea it reminds me of the first restaurant I ever worked in. We had these large glass containers and would fill them with water and a huge tea bag and let them steep in the sunlight. Picturesque? Definitely. But do we have time for that? Uh, nope.
Once the water boils steep the tea and make your lavender simple syrup. This syrup is a little different because it's not the usual 1 to 1 ratio. With the tea and the bourbon, it needed just a touch more sweetness.
Alternatively, you could also just purchase lavender syrup if you want to make this cocktail even easier. This brand is one we've used in the restaurants before. I'd start off with adding about ¾ of the recipe and taste to see if you'd like it sweeter. And if you can't find fresh lavender to make homemade simple syrup, then you can grab some culinary grade lavender from our good friend Amazon.
Chill it all down, add some fresh squeezed lemon, don't forget the bourbon and serve it up in your favorite pitcher. A fancy glass tumbler is my go to, make me feel like I should be enjoying this at a garden party at some fancy estate outside of London.
Pinkies up friends.
Need more tea recipe inspiration? Learn more about Stash Tea and their products on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you love tea and love a deal - seriously who doesn't? - you can grab your own 'stash' with a special discount just for Hunger Thirst Play readers here.
Did you make this recipe? Have questions about tea? Tell me in the comments!
Earl Grey Lavender Bourbon Punch
Ingredients
- 8 bags Stash Tea Earl Grey
- 2 quarts water
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 6 sprigs fresh lavender
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 lemon (sliced for garnsih)
- 1 ¼ cups bourbon
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, once boiling turn off heat and steep 8 bags of Stash Earl Grey Tea for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
- While the tea is steeping, prepare the lavender simple syrup. In a small sauce pan combine the sugar, water, and lavender. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool.
- In a large pitcher combine the chilled tea, cooled lavender syrup, fresh lemon juice, sliced lemon and bourbon. Stir to combine.
- Pour over a combination of crushed and cubed ice, garnish with lemon and lavender sprigs and serve.
Vida Tavakoli says
I’m going to use lavender syrup to make it easier, thanks for the link! But I don’t quite understand the 3/4 instructions you wrote above. Can you send directions and specific measurements if using the syrup? How much syrup? Do I still need to add sugar? How munch? Thank you!! Can’t wait!
Lauren says
Hi Vida! If you're using lavender syrup, I'd start with 3/4 c of the syrup, taste it and then decide if you'd like it a little sweeter. So you would just make the tea, let it chill, then once the tea is chilled add in the lavender syrup, lemon, and bourbon. I hope that helps!! Thank you!
Cady says
Really love the flavor combinations of Earl Grey and lavender but I had to up the Bourbon significantly. I’m not a lush, I just couldn’t taste it otherwise. FYI, this is even better the second day (I stored mine in a large sealed Mason jar)
Linda says
Pinkies up! My hubs is a big fan of bourbon so this is something he must be interested in. The combination sounds interesting and fun.