Ingredients

For the tisane:

• 1/4 cup juniper berries
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
• 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
• 4 cups water
• Peel of 1 grapefruit, stripped with a peeler, avoiding the white pith
• Peel of 1 navel orange, stripped with a peeler, avoiding the white pith
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the drinks:

• 1 cup juniper tisane
• 3 ounces dry gin
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 twists orange peel, for garnish

Preparation

Make the juniper tisane: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast the juniper berries, star anise, coriander, allspice and peppercorns until fragrant (the juniper berries will begin to look oily).

Add the water, then the citrus peels, twisting them over the surface of the water to express the oils.

Add the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out (and discard) the solids and reserve the liquid. The yield is about 3 3/4 cups (enough for 6 to 7 drinks).

Make the drinks: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the tisane to a simmer. Add the gin and let rewarm for 30 seconds, then divide equally between two teacups. Add 2 dashes bitters to each drink, then garnish with the orange peel — twisted over the surface of each drink, then dropped in — stir and serve.

WaPo

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons loose black tea
• 8 dried sage leaves
• sugar, for serving

Preparation

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, add the tea and sage leaves, and cover the pan. Wrap a kitchen towel around the pan and set it aside for 10 minutes to allow the tea to steep. Then strain the liquid into a teapot and serve hot, with a bowl of sugar on the side.

Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. Earl Grey tea leaves (about 5 tea bags)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Pinch salt

Preparation

In a small saucepan, bring cream and milk just to a boil over medium heat. Turn off heat and stir in tea. Cover and let steep for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange six 4-ounce oven-proof ramekins in a roasting pan and add water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest and salt. Strain infused cream into the egg yolks. Extract as much liquid as possible without pressing on tea leaves. Discard tea. Whisk thoroughly to combine.

Divide custard mixture among cups. Cover pan tightly with foil, poking a few holes to let steam escape. Carefully transfer pan to oven. Bake until custards are set but still slightly wobbly in centers, about 3o minutes. Transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool, then refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Martha Stewart, via Austin American Statesman