London Fog with Lavender Simple Syrup

One of the most elegant drinks that I’ve ever ordered at a café has been the London Fog, otherwise known as an Earl Grey tea latte. There’s a lot of variations on this popular drink and you get something a little bit different depending on where you go. Allegedly, the drink originates from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (as per its Wiki page). Today, I’m sharing my recipe for a London Fog which has everything I love in a good tea latte – made with a bit of vanilla extract and a homemade Lavender Simple Syrup.

London Fog Recipe

2 tsp Earl Grey tea or 2 tea bags – I am using DavidsTea’s Organic Earl Grey
450ml water
1 Tbsp Lavender Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
125mL milk (or dairy-free alternative), frothed

Steep the Earl Grey tea to your liking – you want it to be stronger than you’d usually drink Earl Grey straight.
Stir in Lavender Simple Syrup and pure vanilla extract.
Froth milk – either with a dedicated milk frother, frothing wand, or with a mason jar (my personal favourite method).
Pour milk into your cup of tea, spoon foam over top.
And enjoy!

I’m using a 600mL double-walled latte (or soup) mug (pictured above). If you’re using a different size cup than I am, I essentially aim for approximately two-thirds of the cup for the tea and one-third for the frothed milk & foam. I find that ratio works best for my tastes when it comes to tea lattes, but you might find it needs more or less tea – experiment and figure out what works for you!

Lavender Simple Syrup Ingredients

1 cup sugar*
1 cup water*
2 Tbsp dried culinary lavender buds

* You can make more or less simple syrup depending on how often you want to have a London Fog, as long as you use equal parts water and sugar. You will want a clean jar/bottle on hand to store the Lavender Simple Syrup.

Lavender Simple Syrup Directions

Combine sugar, water and lavender buds in a saucepan and place over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Allow the syrup to simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Once cooled, strain/remove lavender buds.
Pour the Lavender Simple Syrup into an jar or bottle and refrigerate.
The Lavender Simple Syrup will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge – don’t forget to label it with the date!

If you make this London Fog with Lavender Simple Syrup, I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!

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Lattes at Home (Without the Fancy Equipment)

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Whenever I’m feeling particularly fancy, I like to make myself a tea latte at home. There’s all sorts of fancy equipment that you can buy to make this easier, but what I use is a small mason jar with a lid. Seems deceivingly simple? Well, it is! Fancy drink made with not-so-fancy tools? An overall win, I’d say!

I have my tea steeping before I start on the milk. In the photos, this was a latte made with DavidsTea’s Pumpkin Chai. You can use any kind of tea to make your own latte! It works best if you mix in your sweetener prior to the addition of milk.

Pour milk into a microwaveable jar. I filled a 250ml (1 cup) mason jar approximately 1/3 of the way filled, and then screw on a lid.

Shake, shake, shake! As the milk becomes frothy, there will be less sloshing sounds from the jar. You’ll be able to tell when it’s done when the sloshing sound is pretty much gone. When you take off the lid, you’ll find that it’s filled with foam.

With the lid off, microwave the frothy milk for about 30 seconds. The microwave helps to set the foam so it won’t disappear as quickly.

I use a spoon to hold back the foam as I pour the milk into my tea, and then I use the same spoon to push all the foamy goodness onto the top of my tea.

Bonus Tip: Take a photo and share your fancy tea latte with your friends! Homemade lattes always seem to elicit positive feedback, they’ll never have to know you didn’t buy a milk frother!

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