Tag Archives: Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Tuesday Tea – Summer Sunset

August 29, 2023 By in Tuesday Tea Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Here it is for your drinking pleasure—the last teatail of the summer. But haven’t we had a great time creating, mixing, and drinking them? I know the Gibson Household sure has.

For this one, I turned to Ohio Tea Co. and their French Lemon Crème. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore all things lemon. I’m actually a little surprised that it’s taken me this long to create a lemony teatail.

French Lemon Crème is delicious hot, but I wanted to see how well it held up when iced. The base of green rooibos is perfect for the addition of lemon peel, calendula, lemon wedges, and vanilla flavor. It brewed up a lovely deep orange and smelled heavenly.

As for which spirit to pair with the French Lemon Crème, that took a bit of experimentation. I must admit that I didn’t know exactly what I wanted from this teatail, and I certainly didn’t want to copy someone else’s recipe. I trusted that when I hit the right combination, I would know it.

But getting there took some time! Below are the combinations we tried en route to the perfect teatail.

  • Absolut Citron w/ sugar syrup – very herbal with a burn
  • Il Tramonto Limoncello – smelled and tasted like bubblegum
  • Il Tramonto Limoncello w/ sugar syrup – even more bubblegummy
  • Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy – lost the flavor of tea altogether
  • Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy w/ sugar syrup – syrup brought up the lemon flavor and smoothed out the bite of the shandy, but it still overwhelmed the tea
  • Oliver Lemon Moscato – too tart
  • Oliver Lemon Moscato w/ sugar syrup – mildly lemon but too bland
  • Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon w/ sugar syrup – warm and spicy but did nothing for the lemon flavor
  • Hendrick’s Gin w/ sugar syrup – creamy lemon flavor, smooth
  • St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur w/ sugar syrup – bright floral and lemony

Contrary to what you might think, we weren’t even tipsy at this point. We did, however, start to get close to what we wanted in a teatail. I will admit, though, that we will probably revisit this one next year for more taste testing and tweaking of the recipe. Otherwise, we think you’ll enjoy what we decided upon for the time being.

Summer Sunset Teatail

6 t French Lemon Crème

6 c fresh water

1½ c raw sugar

1 c fresh water

¼ oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

½ oz. Hendrick’s Gin

Bring the six cups of water to 212° F in a stainless-steel pot on the stove. While the water heats, measure out the French Lemon Creme tea into a large, mesh tea ball. When the water reaches the appropriate temperature, place the tea ball in it and cover the pot with a lid. Remember to turn off the heat below the pot (gas stove) or remove it from the burner (electric stove).

Allow the tea to brew for six hours, during which time it will also come down to room temperature. You may swirl it gently, otherwise do not remove the lid from the pot. The long, undisturbed brewing time ensures the tea is strong enough to stand up to the liquor you will add later without being bitter.

While the tea is brewing, add the raw sugar to one cup of water in a stainless-steel pot and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring gently, until a rich syrup has formed. Remove from the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. The syrup can be stored for up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

When the tea has brewed, you may swirl the tea ball once to ensure evenness of color. Remove the tea ball and discard the expended tea. Do not press out the contents into the brewed tea. Pour the tea into a glass pitcher, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until the tea is completely chilled.

To Prepare

In a cocktail stirring glass, measure ¼ oz. St. Germaine, ½ oz. Hendrick’s, and ½ oz. sugar syrup. Stir for about 15 seconds to combine.

In a drinking glass that holds at least 12 oz., place 4 ice cubes. Pour the spirits and sugar mixture over the cubes. Top off with chilled French Lemon Creme tea and stir gently to combine.

Let me know in the comments if you try Summer Sunset and how you liked it. Also, I don’t have a pretty picture of the finished teatail, but I do have one of the fruits . . . or rather spirits of our labor. Enjoy!

True Grit

June 13, 2018 By in Lightning Juice Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Memory Makers Masquerading as Cats

I love blog posts about the magic of ordinary days. You know the ones that expound upon the grit in our daily lives as if it’s some sort of fairy dust sprinkled over us that makes everything perfect and wonderful. This blog post is about the true nature of grit.

If you have ever owned cats or know anything about their personalities, you know they are thieving, little devils. They develop weird passions for things like pens, pencils, Q-tips, etc. Basically, anything they can swipe off a table, out of a cubby in a bathroom cabinet, or from the trash. My three cats (Henry, Simon, and Freddie) crave pencils especially if I’ve placed an eraser cap on the end. They usually chew off the eraser that comes with a pencil (I have found gnarled pieces of metal left as evidence of their handiwork) necessitating the addition of an eraser cap. I believe they work in concert to ensure this happens, and then they celebrate by waiting until I go to bed to work the pencil out of the jar in the living room, the wire spiral of my notebook, or from the side of my laptop cooling station.

Looking for one of my lost pencils is what prompted this blog post. I was on my hands and knees in the kitchen with the three offenders watching my progress as I laid my head parallel to the floor to peer beneath the printer table. I spied a popcorn kernel, and my mind flooded with memories of teaching Joshua how to make popcorn on the stove. I retrieved the kernel and sat back on my knees as I recalled what a great day that was and how many more like it we’ve had since. But I didn’t find the pencil.

I looked into the corners of the fireplace mantel also in the kitchen. A two by three piece of grey Lego was wedged behind the antique wood. It has been years since my kid played with Legos. He started by building every kit according to instructions, but his best creations were those he made up without the benefit of a pattern. The Titanic with a removable panel to simulate destruction by an iceberg, the Iron Giant, a mask similar to that worn by General Grievous, an M1 Garand that ejected the clip, a three-level ship longer than my kitchen table, and a working crossbow were among my favorites. Still no pencil.

Under the stove I found a cap from a bottle of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy. How my cats managed to get the bottle cap was beyond me, but its discovery prompted the memory of a wonderful, teen-free evening spent with my husband. The night was outrageously hot and the light beverage tasted delicious and refreshing. Husband and I felt like newly-weds again as we whiled away hours in each other’s company doing absolutely nothing and loving every moment. Again, no pencil.

I crawled all over the house looking for my pencil. I could have simply used another one, but it was a matter of principle now. The cats trailed me with mild interest, and I swear they nodded their heads toward their litterbox as if suggesting I look there. Little creeps.

Every room received a thorough search, and along the way tidbits of stuff located beneath furniture or in corners prompted memories of the past twenty five years. At times I fretted over scuffed baseboards and the scars of puppy-chewed carpet, a house that looks quite “lived in” and the realization that I need to sweep more often than I already do! (A wise friend once said, “If you have pets, you’re going to have pet hair.”) But every inch of every room in our home offered up life that was and still is sound and stable. I cast a glance at my cats who sat just out of reach watching me. Their smug faces seemed to say, “You’re welcome.”

I eventually found my pencil inside the cooling station where a clumsy paw had pushed it in an effort to snag it off the table. I threaten to beat their hides every time one of my pencils goes missing, but I have to admit the process of looking for it adds to my memories most positively. Someday—hopefully not in the near future—my broken heart will reminisce Henry, Simon, and Freddie, and I’ll be most appreciative for the days they decided to steal my pencils.