Wednesday 20 March 2013

Tea Tail Party!


Tea Tails are a very clever idea. They are tea based cocktails served in teapots and teacups. They look sophisticated. It doesn’t look like your getting drunk and you can actually serve a lot of people pretty cheaply, so they’re perfect for any party. Particularly weddings, where looking unique and beautiful is as important as cost.

I’ve included a tea tail making manual in my ‘Ladies Special’ tea party package for a while now (see http://www.teancake.co.uk/index.php/tea-parties/packages/ for details!) but as I was pregnant when I set up the business I couldn’t really enjoy them. So when we had a cocktail party for some friends of mine I took the opportunity to make a load of them, and of course to conduct some market research by asking guests what they thought. It had nothing to do with getting drunk I assure you.

So, the verdict is, they are delicious! Not only are they a beautiful novelty and a talking point, they all taste different (there are six in the manual) and they all taste seriously good. Everyone enjoyed them and it was fun to watch people chatting with cups of ‘tea’ getting steadily sloshed.

Anyway, I thought I would share one of my favourites with you so you can try it out for yourself. If you don’t have a teapot, make it in a jug. It won’t look nearly as nice, but it will taste just as good.

The Earls Jubilee Punch

Enough for one pot:

·      Two scoops of Earl Grey tea
·      Six teaspoons of sugar
·      Five teaspoons of lemon juice
·      Small piece of root ginger
·      Fresh mint (a few sprigs)
·      200ml Gin
·      Slices of cucumber, sprig of mint and lemon zest to garnish

To make:

Bash the ginger and mint a little to release the flavour and add to the pot along with the tealeaves. Pour in four cups of boiling water and add the sugar. Stir and then add the lemon juice and gin. Cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

Put a slice of cucumber and some lemon zest in each teacup and strain your tea tail into the cups. Decorate with mint sprigs. Best drunk on a lawn in summer.