Jordan Nelson • February 21, 2025
Golden Root Gimlet: Recipe
Golden Root Gimlet
Ingredients
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1.5 oz Silver Tip Reserve oolong-infused Thresh & Winnow Foret Gin
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0.5 oz Chicago Cane Cooperative White Rum
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0.75 oz Velvet Root syrup
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0.75 oz lime juice
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1 Tbsp each of coarse sea salt & dried Silver Tip Reserve tea (for garnish)
Method
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Make the oolong-infused gin: combine 2 Tbsp of Spirit Tea’s Silver Tip Reserve with 8 oz of Thresh & Winnow Foret Gin; let infuse for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Strain through a nut-milk bag and bottle; can be stored at room temperature or in the freezer indefinitely. Reserve tea leaves if using for garnish.
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Make the Velvet Root syrup: brew 12 oz of Spirit Tea’s Velvet Root Herbal Tonic (according to the directions on the package), combine in a saucepan with 12 oz of white sugar (by weight), simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar, let cool, then bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
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Make the tea salt for garnishing a coupe glass: combine 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt with 1 Tbsp of dried Silver Tip Reserve tea (it can be the same tea you used to infuse the gin) in a spice grinder. Grind for approximately 10 seconds.
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Garnish a coupe glass by cutting a lime in half, then cutting a ridge into the center of the lime as demonstrated in the video. Slide the ridge around half of the coupe’s rim, roll the wet part of the rim in the tea salt, then tap to remove any excess.
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Combine the gin, rum, syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail tin. Fill with ice, secure the tin, shake for 8-10 seconds, then strain into the garnished coupe glass. Enjoy!
Drink Story
I think of this cocktail like this: a gimlet and a daiquiri had a baby and then had tea for breakfast. Or maybe they had the tea first, ha! Either way, the Silver Tip Reserve oolong from Spirit Tea is one of the most delicious oolong teas I’ve ever tasted, and when I first enjoyed it by itself, I immediately knew I wanted to transport its uniquely floral mango fruit undertone into a refreshing gin and rum-based cocktail. Then, upon tasting the fantastically herbaceous Velvet Root Herbal Tonic, I knew how I wanted to elevate the sweet portion of the citrusy cocktail. And though you can absolutely use your personal gin and rum of choice to create this cocktail, I chose spirits from two Chicago distillers: Thresh & Winnow’s Foret gin—because it has a lovely herbal note coming from shiso leaf—as well as Chicago Cane Cooperative’s Silver Rum, which brings the delicious funk of an Agricole-style rum while still remaining balanced and light. Finally, though the garnish requires a little extra work, it’s cool because it allows you to taste the tea in its raw form, with its tannins softened by the addition of the salt. I hope you enjoy this cocktail, whether you make it for yourself or someday I have the honor of making it for you!
Cheers!
Jason @inbarcocktails