Photo Credit: Floating Kitchen
Feel enlightened by sipping this delightful brew blended with an intriguing mix of full-bodied flavors. And if you’re serving this one at a small get together, you can play up your pun game by saying you’re dishing out sage advice. All shameless puns aside, the yaupon tea balances out the tangy grapefruit and pairs well with the velvet touch of sage. The sparkling wine gives this concoction a bubbly zest that makes for an effortless afternoon pick-me-up!
GRAPEFRUIT SAGE ADVICE
Makes 3-5 glasses // Prep Time: 30 minutes // Active Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
Honey-Sage Simple Syrup
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup fresh sage leaves (stems removed)
Cocktails
- 1 rounded tsp loose leaf or 1 sachet/bag green tea or light roast yaupon tea
- 1 cup filtered water
- 4 oz vodka, gin, or rum
- 1/2 cup sparkling wine or champagne
- 1/2 - 1 cup grapefruit juice
- 4 oz honey-sage simple syrup
- Ice cubes
- Sage leaves and/or grapefruit slices for garnish
Directions
Honey-Sage Simple Syrup
Bring the water and sage to a soft boil in a small saucepan. Stir in honey and then reduce heat to lightly simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat to cool, cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes-1 hour (the longer you let it infuse, the stronger the flavor!). Pour syrup through a mesh strainer, pressing on the sage leaves to extract maximum flavor, into a sealable jar (mason jars work well) and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!
Cocktails
For green tea, heat the water to around 175°F and steep tea for 1-3 minutes. For yaupon tea, heat water to 212°F and steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove (strain) tea and let cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes). You can also add ice to your tea here to help it cool down faster!
In a large pitcher combine your liquor of choice, sparkling wine or champagne, grapefruit juice, honey-sage simple syrup and tea and gently stir. Serve over ice in each cocktail glass, garnish with sage leaves and/or a grapefruit slice and enjoy!
