Blood and Smoke

So we were brainstorming what to do with various teas, and we wanted to try every way we could think of to get tea into a drink. We tried infusing the tea in spirits, and in vinegar, and in syrups; we tried brewing the tea and reducing it, we tried matcha, we tried adding boiling tea to hot toddies and chilled tea to iced-tea style drinks. We had one drink that failed three times. Sometimes you just have to make peace with your failures... Cardamom and earl grey are just too similar to make a nice drink together.But this is not a post about failure! This is a riff on a drink we made last summer, the Blood and Oak. I wish I could say it was for Mixology Monday, but it isn't. I inverted the um, uh, the-- I inverted the infusion! Normally you would infuse the base spirit, but for this one I infused the liqueur. I'm so edgy.

Blood and Smoke2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Mezcal de Vida)1 oz Blood Orange Juice.5 oz Lapsang Souchong Syrup.25 oz Ancho Chili-Infused CampariShake over ice and double strain into a coup. Garnish with a blood orange peel.

This was a little too sweet. I wanted that lapsang souchong in the drink, but the syrup just added unnecessary sugar. You can see I followed the same formula that you would for a Blood and Sand. I infused the campari with a dried ancho chile, seeds removed, for about two hours. You have to watch a chili pepper infusion very carefully -- overdo it and it turns into mace. I think if I had to do it again, I would put the lapsang in with the ancho, and just infuse it all into the campari. Bump up the proportion to .5, and I think you would have a much more respectable drink.So, if you actually do it, do it like this:

Blood and Smoke (Revised)2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Mezcal de Vida)1 oz Blood Orange Juice.5 oz Lapsang Souchong and Ancho Chili-Infused CampariShake over ice and double strain into a coup. Garnish with a blood orange peel.

And adjust the proportions to your taste. You need to select an amount of orange juice that mediates, but does not nullify, the capsaicin burn from the chili, and it might be that .75 oz works better. That depends on the strength of your infusion and your own good taste.Sorry I missed you, MxMo, and Cheers.