Smoked Tea Sparkling Wine and Oysters Rockefeller
Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
A different take on the "champagne" cocktail.
In search of an extra strong (non-alcoholic) sparkling wine cocktail, the path led directly to smoked tea. More precisely: Lapsang Souchong. It's available neat or as an Earl Grey variant. Initially, I tried the Earl Grey, but it wasn't tough enough. In the end, I decided on the pure version. In addition to non-alcoholic sparkling wine, a good dash of Old Fashion Bitter is added to the glass. The whole thing tastes tart, sweet and smoky. Because it is based on a champagne cocktail, oysters were the obvious choice. Only this time au gratin, because raw oysters really aren't everyone's cup of tea. Rockefeller oysters are a classic. Sometimes they are gratinated with Parmesan, sometimes without. I'm not a Parmesan fan and leave it out. It's also closer to the original.
For the drink, the tea is brewed strongly and left to steep until it cools. Then it is warmed up again and mixed with sugar to make a syrup. Since champagne glasses can also vary in size, I settled on the rule of thumb 1/3 syrup to 2/3 champagne. The smaller the glass, the smaller the splash of bitters, or vice versa.
The oysters:
12 fresh oysters
2 tablespoons butter
250g fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 half onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, homemade
Tabasco sauce to taste
1.5 tablespoons non-alcoholic Pernod
Pinch of salt
Rock salt
Lemon wedges for garnish
Open the oysters. Remove the meat and collect the oyster water. Rinse the shells thoroughly and dry them. Melt the butter in a large pot. Then add the spinach, onion, parsley, breadcrumbs, Tabasco, non-alcoholic Pernod and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Oyster water, stir in. Press the spinach mixture through a sieve and leave to cool. The mixture can be well prepared and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat the oven grill. Line an ovenproof dish or plate with a layer of salt (moisten the salt very lightly). Place the oysters in the salt, making sure they are lying straight. Place one oyster back in each dish and cover with the spinach mixture. Bake in the oven for approx. 8-10 min.
Serve immediately with lemon.
The drink:
8 teaspoons smoked tea
400ml water
50g sugar
Fee Brothers Oldfashioned Bitter
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine Noughty AF or Column Zero
2 coffee filters
Bring the water to the boil. Allow to cool slightly and pour over the tea. Leave to infuse until cool. Then pour through a sieve. Then filter twice more through a coffee filter. Then heat again and stir in the sugar until it has completely dissolved. Chill the syrup. Serve the drink in a ratio of 1/3 syrup to 2/3 sparkling wine and a strong dash of bitters..
© Oliver Schwarzwald