The beauty of the Council of Trees cocktail is its apparent simplicity, but the devil is in the details here, with relatively obscure ingredients like birch water, dried oak moss and food-grade western red cedar wood chips – as well as the the necessity of having to make two simple, er, not-simple syrups. But the gathering of these ingredients feels like its own version of foraging – regardless that it’s foraging on the internet vs. in the wilds of BC. If you’re on the hunt for birch water (also referred to as birch sap), try Canadian company’s Gnusanté‘s Natural Birch Sap. For the smoked tea, Botanist uses Tealeaves BC Forestea for its flavours of hand-smoked alder and cherry wood.
Scotch and Smoked Tea Cocktail
A recipe for the elaborate 'Council of Trees' cocktail from Vancouver's Botanist Bar, starring smoked tea, oak moss and scotch.
Ingredients
Smoked Tea Syrup
- 50 g food-grade western red cedar wood chipped
- 20 g loose smoked tea leaves
- generous 4 cups water
- generous 4 cups sugar
- 100 g citric acid
Oak Moss Syrup
- 40 g dried oak moss available at health food stores and online
- 20 g food-grade western red cedar wood chipped
- generous 4 cups water
- generous 4 cups sugar
Cocktail
- 1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky or other blended Scotch Whisky
- 0.5 oz Fino Dry Sherry Wine
- 1.5 oz Birch Water
- 0.75 oz Smoked Tea Syrup
- 0.25 oz Oak Moss Syrup
- 1 rosemary sprig for garnish (optional)
- 1 amaranth flower for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Smoked Tea Syrup
- Add cedar, smoked tea and water to a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and let steep, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a container; add sugar and citric acid. Stir well to combine.
- Let chill. Store remainder in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Oak Moss Syrup
- Soak the oak moss in a pot of water for 20 minutes, then strain it and dump the water, keeping hydrated oak moss.
- Add oak moss, cedar chips and water to a pot. Bring to a very low boil over low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain out the solids from the mixture, then add sugar to the liquid portion and stir until it's dissolved.
- Let chill. Store remainder in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Cocktail
- Combine all ingredients in a stirring vessel and stir with ice until chilled and diluted. Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Botanist garnishes this drink with a fresh amaranth flower, but a rosemary sprig will work perfectly in a pinch.
