Drink in Focus: Tall Pine cocktail at Tell Camelia
Made with sencha tea – which is known for its umami depth – the Tall Pine cocktail features a crisp, sweet and sour finish
It’s only fitting around mid-autumn to focus on a drink the team built for the holiday season. “The Tall Pine is a vibrant and refreshing cocktail [that we] crafted during the festive season of 2022,” Gurung recalls. “Inspired by the scent of winter forests and the elegance of Japanese tea culture, the drink brings together the crisp essence of pine and the green, umami-rich profile of sencha cold brew.”
“It’s a celebration of purity and restraint, allowing the true essence of sencha to shine,” Gurung continues. “Cold brew is the technique we reserve for delicate teas, especially when we seek to highlight their natural sweetness and preserve their subtle, nuanced flavours. By avoiding heat, we protect the tea’s freshness and clarity. This method works particularly well with green teas and white teas, where even gentle heat can overpower their delicate profiles.”
The cold brew is then combined with pine, shiso and elderflower liqueurs, gin and citric acid. “We premix all the ingredients and carefully bottle the blend,” Gurung says, “then charge it with carbon dioxide to create a crisp, sparkling texture that enhances the vibrant botanical flavours.”