Making traditional Japanese matcha tea is a ritual of gracefulness and elaborate presentation. We won’t be using any chawans or chasers in the preparation of the tea; (unless you want to of course!) I have added a link to the traditional ceremony of making matcha tea here if you want to read a bit more.
Anyhoo, for the purpose of this cocktail, I use this green matcha powder and available at most health shops in Norway. My recipe for the tea is for 2 cocktails, but feel free to make a bigger batch in your Sodastream maker and keep it chilled in the fridge. The recipe requires 100ml boiling water for 1 tsp of green matcha powder.
Cheers!
You’ll need
- 50ml x gin (I used Crafters Gin)
- 30ml x simple mint syrup
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- 200ml x Chilled matcha tea (See instructions in recipe)
- Sprig of fresh mint
- Ice
Method
- Before you can make this cocktail, you need to make 2 ingredients beforehand.
- To make the mint syrup, place 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
- Take off the heat and add a big handful of fresh mint leaves. Put the lid on and let it stand until the liquid has cooled.
- Pour through a sieve into your storage bottle and store in the fridge until needed. (Discard the mint leaves)
- To make the matcha tea, take 2 tsp green matcha powder and sift into a bowl to get rid of any lumps.
- Add 200ml boiling water and whisk until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
- Pour the tea into a Sodastream bottle and carbonate. Place in fridge to chill.
- To make the cocktail, add ice to a tall glass. Add the gin and mint syrup and stir.
- Top up with the carbonated matcha tea, add a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprig of fresh mint.
Tip - If you want to go a bit fancier on presentation, simply mix ½ teaspoon of matcha powder with 2 tsp sugar together. Wet the rim of your glass with the mint syrup and dip the glass in the matcha/sugar powder.