Whether gathering around her dining room table, her kitchen island, or on a walk in her waterfront neighborhood, my dear friend Anna is welcoming and gives me a big shot of CALM whenever I see her.
Over the years of friendship, each time we gather, there is tea. I like PG Tips with milk or jasmine teas. Anna loves mint and ginger tea and does not take milk. Our tea tastes come together, however, over Earl Grey. At Anna’s home, tea is often served in handspun pottery that she made, and I adore it. We hold our mugs in both hands, savoring the warmth and the presence that comes from this act. As we sip, we talk, laugh, and often watch a kid or six run around the house.
One of the many things we have talked about over cups of tea is our common experience of forming relationships with newly-arrived refugee families. Anna shared the experience of beautiful hospitality she felt in the home of refugee friends. Though they had only just arrived, with very little to their name, tea was always served: a beautiful black tea brewed with whole cardamom pods. The act of making and pouring tea and sharing warmth, even when we shared very few common words, brought us together.
This love of tea and care of refugees led Anna to discover RefuTea, a local tea brand with a heart for refugee families and their resettlement. Autumn, the founder and owner of RefuTea, shares our love of hospitality and sees sharing tea as an experience that transcends language and difference—that brings people together. This beautiful company currently donates 10% of its proceeds each quarter to local refugee resettlement agencies, with big beautiful dreams of someday soon opening a tea shop that would allow newly-settled refugee friends and neighbors to pour cups of tea to share hospitality and stories.
On a recent sunny afternoon, Autumn, Anna, and I gathered around my dining room table. We shared no-bake cookies and cups of RefuTea Colombo Crème Earl Grey (amazing!). While the new puppy wandered at our feet and even settled on Anna’s lap, we held our mugs in two hands and dreamed of how we could collaborate around our love of tea, hospitality and people. At that table, the RefuTea/Lark collaboration was born. And now, we present to you the first RefuTea/Lark cocktails. We wish we could share it with you around the table or in front of the fire. I would invite you to Anna’s house if I could. But, the next best thing would be for you to gather with a few people that feel like home, that nourish you and hold your cups in both hands, distraction-free. Be present to each other, to the flavors, to the meaning behind the ingredients. Think for a moment of the refugees who are receiving support because of your RefuTea purchase. Talk about things you love that are important to you. I invite you to linger over this beverage; your long list of to-dos will still be there when the cup is empty. Cheers, friends. Enjoy this TEA spin on a classic cocktail!
Earl Grey Old Fashioned
Serves 20 (in a 10-ounce rocks glass filled with ice)
10 cups Four Roses Bourbon (any whiskey or bourbon will do, but this is my preference)
3 cups brewed RefuTea Colombo Crème Earl Grey
1 ½ cups packed brown
2 ½ cups water
2 oranges, peeled with a Y-peeler or carrot peeler into 20 large pieces
1 jar Luxardo Cherries
Aromatic bitters, served on the side (I suggest 6 drops per 10-ounce rocks glass)
Make the tea:
Steep 1 ½ ounce package of loose tea in 3 ½ cups water for 4 minutes and then strain. Avoid making this more than a day ahead for freshness; the tea will take on a cloudy color the second day.
Make the brown sugar simple syrup:
Combine 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar with 2 ½ cups water. Boil until combined. Use 3 cups syrup if you like your drink LESS sweet.
Make the cocktail:
Combine bourbon, tea, and brown sugar syrup in a large serving container.
Serve over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel, 2 cherries, and 6 drops of bitters. Enjoy!
Purchase the Lark Cocktails book for dozens more great recipes! #livinglark
