Kitty Bernardo, former bar manager at New York’s Donna, looked to the convivial tea culture of Morocco as inspiration for L’Arnaud Palmer. As its name suggests, this tall, frosty crusher is a Cognac-based spin on a boozy Arnold Palmer—a perfect drink to cap off a round of le golf. For the mint tea syrup, Bernardo strove for maximum authenticity, consulting a family friend from Morocco on a brewing method that would extract the most pleasing elements of gunpowder green tea and dispense with any bitter off notes. It’s involved, but worth the effort.
L’Arnaud Palmer
Kitty Bernardo | New York City
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces VS Cognac, preferably Cognac VS
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce Moroccan mint tea syrup (see Editor’s Note)
Garnish: mint bouquet
Directions
- Build all ingredients in a shaker and whip-shake with crushed ice.
- Pour into a tall Zombie glass and top off with fresh crushed ice.
- Garnish with a bouquet of mint.
Editor's Note
Moroccan Mint Tea Syrup
Add 24 grams of gunpowder green tea to a pot. Add 227 grams of hot water to the pot and swish. Strain the tea concentrate into a separate container and set aside. Add the strained tea leaves back into the pot and top off with 1 cup of hot water. Swish five times, then strain and discard the water. (The second tea infusion leeches out impurities from the opened tea buds and must be discarded or the syrup will be bitter and unpleasant.)
Pour the first tea concentrate back into the pot with the now-cleaned tea leaves and top off with 680 grams of hot water. Set the pot on the burner and bring to a boil on low-medium heat. Once the infusion is boiling, take it off the heat and add in 473 grams of mint sprigs and leaves; a strong mint aroma should start to permeate the air from the tea. Pour about a third of the liquid out of the pot into a separate container then pour back into the pot to fully incorporate the tea and mint flavors. Repeat three times. Do not stir.
Once the tea has been aerated, pour it into a container, straining out the tea leaves and mint, lightly pressing the remaining moisture out of them. Weigh the amount of tea made, discounting the container, then add an equal amount by weight of white sugar (roughly 907 grams) and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for 3 weeks.