The pink drink never looked so good. And star barista Ziru Mo is to thank! This Big Heart Tea Co. cocktail recipe combines rose, cherry blossom, fresh lemon, citrus and aromatic bitters, and creamy aqua faba for a unique, floral spin on the gin sour.
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The Mixologist
Hi! My name is Ziru and I am from China, based currently in Northern California. I am a photographer and beverage-related content creator with origins in the coffee industry. Other than coffee and photography, I also enjoy plants, rollerblading, art, and travel.
My current top photobook picks are Snail World by Aleia Murawski and Le Grand Amour by Lin Zhipeng. And I'm currently pondering on how to distill the nostalgia of my childhood alongside the existentialism of my 20's all in photo form.
On Working with Tea
I grew up with Chinese tea culture. Drinking tea to me is a kind of healing and meditation process. It gives me a different energy than other beverages.
When I heard Big Heart Tea Co. is sustainably-sourced as well as certified organic, I was very excited to work with a company that cares about the long-term benefit for the industry and producers. Also I am excited to work with women owned businesses.
I find Big Heart Tea Co.'s blend of tea and floral ingredients exciting, as this makes the resulting cup that much more of a pleasure to drink!
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The Inspiration
Bubble Dream is a vegan-friendly pink cocktail, a riff on the classic gin sour.
Since it’s February and we are talking about self-love, I treat myself to a bubble bath when I’m feeling down - the looks of which inspired a frothy, pink egg-white drink.
Big Heart’s Cup of Love finds itself naturally paired with the botanicals of the gin and florals of the cherry blossom syrup, with the counterpoint provided by lemon and bitters.
For this drink, I suggest pairing it with something refreshing and light like seaweed salad, or something airy and crisp like potato chips.
the recipe
Makes 6oz serving
IngredientsÂ
- Big Heart Tea Co.'s Cup of Love, brewed
- 1 ½ oz gin
- ¾ oz aperitif (Aperol style)
- ¾ oz Fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz Cherry blossom syrup
- ½ oz Aquafaba
- Orange bitters
- Aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Shaker
- Jigger
- Hawthorn stringer
- Tea strainer
- Teapot
- Your favorite coupe glass
STEPS
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- Brew 5 grams of Cup of Love in 200ml of water for 6 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, rim your coupe glass with syrup and stick on tea leaves for garnish
- Use the jigger to measure your gin, aperol, lemon juice, syrup, and aqua faba. Pour each into shaker after each measurement.
- Measure 1 oz brewed Cup of Love. Pour into shaker as well.
- Add 2 dashes of orange bitters into the shaker.
- Dry shake the shaker for 15 seconds.
- Pour some ice into the shaker. Shake for another 15 seconds.
- Double drain the mixture into the coupe glass.
- Optional bitters hearts: using the aromatic bitters, carefully drop a few drops onto the foam. Using a toothpick, gently pull from top to bottom of the bitter drop to create heart shapes.
- Enjoy!
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 Get this tea to make your dreams come true.
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