Tea & Timber Cocktail

Name: Tea & Timber Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin; 1 oz chai-matcha-bourbon liqueur; 1 dash Angostura bitters; 2 dashes orange bitters; 1 small sprig fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish); *Optional:* a barspoon of lemon juice if you want a bit of zip; 2 chai tea bags; 2 matcha green tea bags; 1.5 cups sugar; 3/4 cups water; 1 cup bourbon

Bob Sawyer

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Bourbony Original, Gin, Recipe

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April 20, 2025

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last updated

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Alright, yes, this is gin-based, but it’s got bourbon in it, so I think it counts. This one’s built around a liqueur I made by steeping chai and matcha teas, sweetening with rich syrup, and adding just enough bourbon to bring it to about 20% ABV. It’s earthy, spicy, a little smoky—and it begged for something botanical to pull it all together.

Enter gin and rosemary. A small sprig of rosemary gets shaken into the mix, releasing just enough piney aroma to bridge the gap between the deep tea flavors and gin’s crisp brightness. A dash or two of bitters adds structure and keeps it from veering too sweet.

The result is Tea & Timber: soft, spiced, herbal, and unmistakably unique. It’s a forest walk in cocktail form.

Note: If you prefer it stirred and more spirit-forward, you could instead muddle the rosemary in a mixing glass, stir with ice, and strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. I tried it both ways and found both to be delightful.

Tea & Timber Cocktail

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Ingredients

US Metric

Cocktail Ingredients
1.5 oz 1.5 gin
1 oz 1 chai-matcha-bourbon liqueur
1 dash 1 Angostura bitters
2 dashes 2 orange bitters
1 small 1 sprig fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish)
*Optional:* a barspoon of lemon juice if you want a bit of zip
Liqueur Ingredients
2 2 chai tea bags
2 2 matcha green tea bags
1.5 cups 1.5 sugar
3⁄4 cups 3⁄4 water
1 cup 1 bourbon

Directions

Cocktail Instructions
Lightly smack the rosemary sprig and drop it into a shaker.
Add the remaining ingredients and ice.
Shake well to integrate the rosemary oils.
Fine strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig, singed with a lighter for aroma if you’re feeling dramatic.
Liqueur Instructions
Add sugar and water to a small pot and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and steep tea bags for 15-20 minutes. Add bourbon, stir well, and pour into a container. May be stored in or out of refrigerator.

Equipment

Bar SpoonBuy From A Bar Above
Bell JiggerBuy From A Bar Above
Boston ShakerBuy From A Bar Above
Fine StrainerBuy From A Bar Above
Extra-Long MuddlerBuy From A Bar Above

Tags:

bitters, chai, cocktails, liqueurs, matcha, Recipe, rosemary

AUTHOR

Bob Sawyer

I’ve always (well, since I was of legal age to do so) enjoyed whiskeys of all stripes, but really became interested in creating my own concoctions, or learning/figuring out how to mix cocktails that I’d had elsewhere, when I helped a web design client build her own mixology/cocktail recipes site, mixnsip.com. In fact, I appear in a number of her videos sampling the results of her experiments. She even created a special scotch-based cocktail, “The Bob,” just for me. So now I’m sharing the wealth, so to speak. When I try a unique bourbon-based cocktail (really the only kind I drink), I then like to figure out how to make them at home. It’s easy when the bar or restaurant includes the ingredients on their menus — then it’s up to me to figure out the ratios, and let me tell you, half the fun is just getting there! Feel free to try any of these at home, and if you have one you’ve tried you’d like to share, send it to me and I’ll feature it on the site! Cheers!

Hi! I’m Bob!

If it’s got bourbon in it, I’m drinking it. And if it’s really good, I’m gonna figure out how to make it, and share it with you. Because I’m good like that.

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