Winter Leaf Fizz

Kelsey Ramage, Dolly Trolley Drinks | Toronto

Seedlip Spice Recipe

During a period of experimentation with tea, Kelsey Ramage built this cocktail around the flavor of Seedlip’s Spice 94 paired with vibrant, fruity rooibos from Sloane Fine Tea Merchants. Whereas it might have been easy to fall back on baking spice elements, Ramage challenged herself to expand the palette she was working with; instead, she reached for house-fermented cranberry wine (whose residual alcohol is cooked off) and mandarin-infused oleo saccharum. The result is a refreshing, almost spring-y drink with floral notes and unexpected viscosity and subtle spice.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 40 milliliters Seedlip Spice 94
  • 40 milliliters Seedlip Spice 94
  • 20 milliliters cranberry wine (see Editor’s Note)
  • 20 milliliters cranberry wine (see Editor’s Note)
  • 10 milliliters mandarin oleo saccharum (see Editor’s Note)
  • 10 milliliters mandarin oleo saccharum (see Editor’s Note)
  • 40 milliliters brewed rooibos tea (see Editor’s Note)
  • 40 milliliters brewed rooibos tea (see Editor’s Note)
  • 35 milliliters high-carbonation soda water
  • 35 milliliters high-carbonation soda water

Directions
  1. Build ingredients in a highball glass over ice.
  2. Using a barspoon, lift all the ingredients together without agitating to maintain carbonation.
Editor's Note

Cranberry Wine
1 liter water
300 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
200 grams caster sugar
1 gram Champagne yeast

Dissolve sugar in room temperature water. Flash-blend cranberries and add to sugar mixture. Allow mixture to come to room temperature. Activate yeast in water or according to package directions. Add to cranberry mixture and allow to ferment in an airlock container for 3 to 5 days (wine is ready when ferment tastes dry, but before it begins to taste like vinegar.) When ready, strain, then pour mixture into pot over low heat and allow to simmer for two minutes to cook off alcohol.

Mandarin Oleo Saccharum
200 grams mandarin peels
400 grams caster sugar
200 milliliters water

Cover mandarin peels with sugar and leave 12 hours. Add water and stir to dissolve sugar, then strain.