Lately I've been rapt in tea as a cocktail ingredient. The diversity of tea lends to endless combinations, so get out there and TRY THEM ALL, including this matcha honey sour, nicknamed Wileyed Up after one of my favorite local bands, Brother Wiley. Wileyed Up is a whiskey sour shaken with matcha green tea powder and a honey simple syrup. If you don't mind sipping on a green cocktail, the complexity of matcha is worth the unfamiliar hue. Matcha touches on umami in flavor with a soft astringency, earthy sweetness, and almost vegetal taste. It's stunning with honey, delicious in baked goods and desserts galore, and cocktails at that. You're just a few shakes away from this deliciously curious take on a whiskey sour.
Wileyed Up: Matcha Honey Sour
Serves 1
1.5 ounces Copper Run whiskey
.5 ounce lemon juice
.75 ounce honey simple syrup
1 scant teaspoon matcha green tea powder
mint sprig, for garnish
To make the honey simple syrup, whisk together equal parts honey and water in a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high, whisking until the honey dissolves into the water. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, honey simple syrup, and matcha powder in a cocktail shaker with a scoop of ice. Shaker for at least 30 seconds and strain onto fresh ice. Garnish with the sprig of mint.