This Earl Grey martini is a simple and delicious blend of Earl Grey tea, gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

A martini is an elegant cocktail that exudes sophistication and style. This MarTEAni 😉 adds an earl grey twist to the classic martini recipe. Though a traditional martini has vermouth added, bringing herbal, floral, and slightly bitter notes, this martini doesn’t include vermouth because the Earl Grey tea is taking care of those flavors!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need. Find the full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Earl Grey (tea bags or loose leaf tea). This provides bergamot flavor and a hint of black tea bitterness.
Simple syrup. You can use a classic 1:1 sugar syrup, or for extra flavor, use Earl Grey simple syrup.
Sugar. White sugar for rimming the glass.
Gin: Choose a good quality gin. The botanicals in gin add depth and complexity.
Lemon Juice: Use fresh rather than bottled if possible.
Ice: To chill the cocktail in cocktail shaker.

Method

Begin with steeping your tea so it has time to cool.

To create a strong Earl Grey brew, add one tea bag to 120ml (1/2 cup) boiled water. Or 1 teaspoon loose-leaf tea per 1/2 cup water. Let this steep and cool for 4-5 minutes.

jigger of tea poured into cocktail shaker.

Run 1/2 a lemon slice along a martini glass rim, then dip in sugar.
Combine gin, cooled tea, simple syrup, lemon juice, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake gently until thoroughly chilled.

martini being poured into sugar rimmed glass.

Pour the cocktail into the prepared martini glass.

Garnish with a slice of lemon. Serve immediately

Variations

Different tea flavors – Experiment with your favorite tea variations!
Earl Grey Gin Sour: Add an egg white to the cocktail shaker.

Related cocktails

Here are some other delicious Martini cocktails to try:

Yield: 1