Gin in a Teapot

Gin in a teapot? It’s not something I’d ever thought of, but the Boodles Gin Butler says it’s a good alternative to the British Afternoon Tea tradition, especially during Afternoon Tea Week (August 10th-16th).

And it’s more than just gin in a teapot that had never occurred to me, it’s the thought of serving a gin cocktail in a teacup that also seems somehow odd. Seeing the gin cocktail creations that Boodles has come up with, though, I’d definitely be willing to give it a chance.

The History of Afternoon Tea

The history of Afternoon Tea goes back to 1840, and although Boodles Gin was established in 1845, we’ve had to wait all this time for the two to come together. According to the Historic-UK.com website:

“Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o’clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter (some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.”

No mention of gin, of course, but if you can have Buck’s Fizz for breakfast and beer with your ploughman’s lunch, why not have a drop of gin in the late afternoon?

It reminds me of what a lady said to me when I was touring Mississippi and she offered me a mint julep as I went in for my breakfast: “In the morning it’s merely a libation, and after noon it becomes a cocktail. Then in the evening we call it a drink.”

Gin in a Teapot Advice

If making your gin cocktails in a teapot, Boodles has two main pieces of advice. First, use only the finest bone-china teapots and cups, and secondly, put your ice in the cup and not in the teapot, because it might block the spout.

Gin in a Teapot Cocktails

Rhuby Martinez

(a fruity number)

150ml Boodles Rhubarb & Strawberry Gin
60ml sweet vermouth
20ml maraschino liqueur

Combine all of the ingredients in a teapot. Fill a teacup with ice. Stir and strain ingredients into teacup. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Gin & Gomme

(a summery, herbal refresher)

150ml Boodles Gin
60ml Pineapple Juice
45ml Mango Purée (blended chopped mango)
60ml Fresh Lemon Juice

Shake all the ingredients thoroughly and pour into teapot. Fill a teacup with ice. Pour into teacup, top with a tiny splash of soda and garnish with a fresh sprig of coriander.

Mulberry Bramble Cocktail

(a berry delight)

150ml Boodles Mulberry Gin
90ml Fresh lemon juice
90ml Crème de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)
Lemon half wheel and blackberries to garnish

Combine all of the ingredients in a teapot. Fill a teacup with ice. Stir and strain ingredients into teacup. Garnish with a lemon half-wheel and blackberries.