How to make a Darjeeling Ruby Dram
Last week we hosted our biggest event of the year, The Proper Shake Up, at Commune at Goodhood in Shoreditch.
Ten competitors from across our partner cafés, restaurants, bars and roasters shook, stirred and served up tea-infused cocktails to our panel of five fierce judges: Davide Orazi from WatchHouse, Oren Coleman from Ottolenghi and El Dorado Rum, Zoe Burgess from Atelier Pip, Sam Paget Steavenson from Botivo, and, of course, our Founder, Emilie Holmes.
Attila Szabo, Training Manager at Caravan Coffee, shook things up with his cocktail, the Darjeeling Ruby Dram. The secret? Good & Proper Darjeeling tea infused into whisky to bring out those juicy raisin notes. Add homemade plum juice (criminally underrated, according to Attila), a little milk clarification for a silky-smooth finish, and some custom-made crystal-clear ice.
A huge cheers to Attila - read on to learn how to make his cocktail at home.
What You Need (per serve)
- G&P Darjeeling-infused Penderyn Madeira Finish whisky - 25g (method below)
- Strong G&P Darjeeling infusion - 8g (method below)
- Clarified and acid adjusted Japanese plum juice - 18g (method below)
- Cascara (coffee cherry skin) tea - 8g (method below)
- 1:1 simple syrup - 8g
- Chilled water (for dilution) - 10g
- Garnish: small sheet of dehydrated plum pulp (method below) and small leaves of Thai basil (just a basil leaf will do if you're struggling to find at home!).
Method (for special ingredients)
Darjeeling-infused whisky: Mix 5g G&P Second Flush Darjeeling tea with 100ml of Penderyn Madeira Finish whisky. Infuse for 35 minutes at room temperature, then filter through a coffee filter paper.
Plum juice: Blend fresh Japanese plums (skins included) with 0.1% Pectinex by weight. Rest for 2 hours at room temperature, then pass through a fine mesh sieve to isolate clear juice.
For every 100ml of clear juice add 2g citric acid (food grade), 1g malic acid (food grade) and 0.15g ascorbic acid (food grade) to preserve colour.
Strong Darjeeling brew: Brew 9g of G&P Second Flush Darjeeling in 100ml filtered water at 83C for exactly 3 minutes. Strain hot tea through a paper coffee filter to maintain clarity.
Cascara infusion: Steep 15g of cascara in 100ml of water and slowly simmer for 10 minutes. Filter with a coffee filter paper for clarity.
Dehydrated plum pulp garnish: After straining the plum juice, spread the leftover plum pulp on a silicone sheet about 2-3mm thick. Place in a 55 degree oven for 6-8 hours until completely dry.
Method (makes one Darjeeling Ruby Dram)
- Mix all ingredients together and clarify using 15g of whole (3.7%) milk filtered through a coffee filter paper.
- Pour cocktail into a chilled rocks glass with a single crystal clear ice block.
- Express the essential oils of a few Thai basil leaves on and around the glass rim.
- Garnish with a small sheet of dehydrated plum pulp on top of the ice, with a small leaf of Thai basil placed on the pulp.
