Fall Leaves Old Fashioned (Original Recipe)

 

There's a lot of ways to get smoke in a cocktail. You can do it directly with a smoker or use a smoked whiskey like MurLarkey's Smokehouse. This time I wanted to add a particular kind of smoke without the scent of bacon or salt. To do this, I infused bourbon with lapsang souchong black tea. This tea is smoked over pine embers. It has a tarry taste and a scent like a dying campfire. I love how it pairs with the sweetness of bourbon. Adding a teaspoon of the tea to a cup of bourbon adds complexity to a one-note blend of cheap bourbon. 

In the photo I've shown the used leaves (left) next to the unused dry leaves. To make the infusion, simply add one teaspoon of tea per cup of spirits. It only needs to infuse for 24 hours, after which the whiskey will only get darker with the richness of the leaf tea, not the smoke. Strain out the tea using a fine strainer or tea strainer before using it. \

• 2 oz. Lapsang Souchong infused bourbon
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• dash of orange bitters
• orange peel twist

Combine sugar, bourbon and bitters with ice in a mixing glass. Stir and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Twist orange peel over the drink and drop it in.