I love tea in summer! In particular I love cold tea in summer, and I am always searching for ways to mix and mingle what’s on supermarket shelves with iced tea, cold brews, infused syrups and more. For this recipe I went out on a limb, and came back a hero.  
 
My hypothesis was that if everyone’s using sparkling water to give a tea syrup some effervescence, could tonic water work? If used with the right tea the answer is a resounding YES. This mash up of Cream of Earl Grey simple syrup and tonic water adds a touch of tartness to the tea’s smoothness. My only caveat is to make a lot, as it’s going to be popular.
 
This recipe comes in two easy parts: making the Tea Simple Syrup and then mixing the drink. Cream of Earl Grey Simple Syrup 

Cream of Earl Grey Simple Syrup: (makes one cup)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 Cream of Earl Grey teabags or five teaspoons of loose-leaf tea

• Heat one cup of water to the temperature suggested for the tea. If using a kettle, pour the hot water into a small saucepan over the tea bags or loose leaf once heated and let steep for five minutes.
• Remove tea bags or strain out tea leaves and bring tea in saucepan back up to a medium-high heat.  
• Stir sugar into the tea until it has completely dissolved.
• Remove tea from heat, let cool and bottle. This Cream of Earl Grey simple syrup should last upwards of a month refrigerated.

Cream of Earl Grey & Tonic Mocktail 

Cream of Earl Grey & Tonic Mocktail (for one drink)

Ingredients: 

• ¾ ounce Cream of Earl Grey Simple Syrup
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 ounces tonic water. We used Fever Tree Indian Tonic.
• ice

• Fill a highball glass with ice.
• Pour in Cream of Earl Grey Simple Syrup and lemon juice.
• Top with tonic water, give a stir and serve.

Option: to spice things up add an ounce of vodka and cut back on the tonic by the same amount.