This original recipe appeared in my book A Boozy History of Atlanta: People, Places & Drinks that Made a City.
Mrs. P’s bar in the Old Fourth Ward was one of the places that held “tea dances” for the LGBTQ+ community and the city’s first drag show. Lady Bunny, a drag queen formerly of Atlanta, hosts one of the longest-running tea dances in New York.
This drink takes inspiration from the literal and the metaphorical, relying on some of the best local ingredients, including, of course, peaches. I recommend Earl Grey or another black tea from Just Add Honey, a tea shop in the Old Fourth Ward, but really, any kind will do.
In terms of bourbon, local brands include Doc Brown Bourbon, out of Senoia to the south, or Atlanta’s American Spirit Works Fiddler Bourbon. Distillery of Modern Art‘s peach vodka is also great.
- 1.5 ounces bourbon
- 1.5 ounces black tea, chilled
- 0.5 ounces fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce peach puree, strained
- 1.5 ounces brown sugar simple syrup, more or less to taste
Add fresh (or canned if you must) peaches to a blender until they form a puree. Then cook it down in a pan over low heat until most of the lumps are gone.
To make the brown sugar simple syrup, add one part brown sugar and one part boiling water until it’s fully blended, just as you would a traditional simple syrup.
I also pre-made my black tea and refrigerated it so it would be ready to be mixed in without melting the ice.
Combine all your ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain over a cocktail glass. This drink can be served hot or cold, but the boozy sweet tea is most refreshing in the summertime. It can also be made without alcohol.
Caroline Eubanks 