GOURMET TRAVELLER 13120 gm Darjeeling black
tea leaves
100 gm caster sugar1 Combine tea leaves with
400ml chilled, filtered water
in a large bowl. Leave to
macerate, stirring occasionally,
for 1 hour.1 small watermelon
500 ml Absentroux vermouth
(see note)
300 ml Tromba Blanco tequila
150 ml lime juice
250 ml (1 cup) ginger beer
Large block of ice, to serve
Basil leaves, mint leaves
and blueberries, to garnish
BLUEBERRY VERJUICE
250 gm blueberries
500 ml verjuice
1 For blueberry verjuice, freeze
blueberries overnight, then
combine frozen blueberries
with verjuice and refrigerate
for 12 hours to macerate.
Strain through a fine sieve
into a sterilised glass bottle,
discarding blueberries.
Sherbet Punch SERVES 12
“When I first wrote this recipe, I thought it lacked something. Enter
one of my favourite cocktail ingredients: tea,” says Byrne. “When
used correctly, tea can bring amazing subtlety to cocktails and
punch; it gives them some backbone, allowing other flavours to
pop. Once I added the tea, the Cocchi rosa stood out and you could
really notice the bitter cinchona bark of the La Tonique quinquina.
Very quickly, this punch went to superstar status.” Pictured p129.300 ml Cocchi Americano
rosa vermouth
300 ml Maidenii La Tonique
quinquina
200 ml Melbourne Gin
Company gin
100 ml St Germain liqueur
200 ml black tea syrup
(see recipe below)
500 ml (2 cups) soda water
300 ml prosecco
Large block of ice, to serve
Marigolds and other
edible flowers (optional;
see note), mint sprigs and
strawberries, to garnish1 Combine ingredients except
soda water, prosecco and ice
in a large chilled punch bowl,
then pour in soda water and
prosecco and top with ice.
2 Garnish with flowers, mint
and strawberries and serve in
chilled punch or wine glasses.
Note Edible flowers are
available from David Jones
food halls and select grocers.2 Strain tea through a fine
sieve, discarding tea leaves.
Return tea to the bowl and
add sugar, stirring vigorously
until dissolved. Pour syrup into
a sterilised bottle and seal
tightly. Black tea syrup will keep
refrigerated for a week. Black tea syrup MAKES 450ML
Summer of
VermouthBlueberry verjuice will keep
refrigerated in a tightly sealed
bottle for a week.
2 Cut top o watermelon,
scoop out flesh and, in batches,
blitz in a food processor until
puréed, then pass through
a fine sieve. (You’ll need 750ml
watermelon juice; reserve
remaining flesh for another use.)
Combine 750ml watermelon
juice with remaining ingredients
and 250ml blueberry verjuice in
the hollowed-out watermelon
and top with ice. Garnish with
basil, mint and blueberries and
serve in chilled wine glasses.
Note Absentroux vermouth is
available from select bottle
shops, such as Nicks Wine
Merchants and P&V Merchants.