When I saw how easy it was to make homemade Irish cream, I immediately thought about incorporating tea into it. Bailey’s Irish cream is one of my all-time favorites and it was probably one of the only drinks I liked when I was younger. This sweet and creamy Earl Grey Irish cream recipe is an interesting twist to the classic Bailey’s, with hints of tea and bergamot from the Earl Grey. I’m sure you’ll love it!
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Tea Infused Cocktails
For a while now, chefs and mixologists have been experimenting with all sorts of tea-infused spirits and finding new ways to play with tea and herbal flavors. A few things should be considered when creating a tea cocktail:
– When using brewed tea for the drink, same as when cooking with tea, it needs to be brewed at double strength so the tea doesn’t lose its flavor when diluted. Never over-brew, but use double the amount of tea than you would use for a regular cup.
– Try different ways of using tea for making cocktails: as a concentrate, in a simple syrup and also try steeping tea in alcohol.
RELATED: How to Make Rooibos Simple Syrup
Why Make Your Own Irish Cream Recipe?
The beauty of this DIY is that it’s cheaper than buying a bottle of Bailey’s and you avoid the preservatives and stabilizers. Also, when you DIY you can modify the ingredients and customize it, for example, you might want to try doing this Irish cream recipe with Lapsang Souchong instead of Earl Grey or adding some vanilla or chocolate syrup, like many recipes call for.
It is such a simple recipe when done without tea, it’s just a matter of blending the ingredients together for 30 seconds. But that’s too easy, so why not give it a special twist? This Irish cream recipe is unique and delicious.
I made a few tests where I infused the tea in simmering heavy cream but it made the cream too thick, so I decided to steep the Earl Grey tea leaves in the Irish Whiskey to get this recipe and consistency right.
Recipe Notes
For this recipe, you can use loose leaf tea or tea bags (just make sure it’s a good quality tea) although I always choose loose leaf tea, with a few exceptions.
Here are some recommendations for Earl Grey options to use:
– Adagio Earl Grey Bravo
– Adagio Earl Grey Lavender
– Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey
– Harney & Sons Earl Grey Imperial
– Tealyra Rosy Earl Grey
Once I tried vanilla paste I could never go back to vanilla extract. It is so worth switching because you get a richer and more intensified vanilla flavor.
– Heilala Vanilla Paste
–Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
To make this recipe even more special I added bergamot oil. It is extremely important that you make sure you’re using food grade bergamot oil because not all are safe for consumption. These are the ones I recommend:
– Starwest Botanicals Bergamot Oil
– Lorann Oils Bergamot Oil
If you don’t have it, you can definitely skip it, but the Earl Grey flavor will be less pronounced.
Recipe Variations
Again, the beauty of DIY is that you can modify this recipe as you wish!
Most homemade Irish cream recipes add about 2-3 tbsp of chocolate syrup, but I chose to skip it, the same goes for instant coffee. Also, I tried different ratios of whiskey and you can play with this too. When I added too little, the liqueur was too thick, so I found a proportion that works well, but you can add more if you want it stronger, too.
You can also experiment with the tea you use for this recipe. Try it with:
– Fiery Cinnamon Spice Black Tea
– Summer Rose Black Tea
– Chestnut Black Tea
– Pumpkin Spice Black Tea
RELATED: Fruit Tea Mimosas
More Uses for Earl Grey Irish Cream
I definitely recommend drinking it on its own, but you can also use it for making cocktails, adding it to coffee, and baked goods. It makes an amazing and original gift too, just make double the recipe, keep half and gift half!
Need more ideas? Check out 19 Bailey’s cocktail recipes, Irish cream blondies, Irish Cream Fudge brownies, and Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse.
You can also make an Irish Cream Earl Grey mug cake, so good! I used this mug cake recipe and replaced the Irish cream for the milk and skipped the Nutella topping… can’t begin to tell you how good this thing was!
Go ahead and make this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below if you do this. I always love hearing how it turns or any variations that you did. Donโt forget to share a picture on Instagram and tag me!
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Earl Grey Irish Cream
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Earl Grey loose leaf tea/ 3 tea bags
- 1.5 cup (350 ml) Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)
- 1 cup (235 ml)ย heavy cream
- 1 can (395 ml)ย sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
- 2-3 drops bergamot oil (make sure it is food grade!)
Instructions
- Combine the tea and Irish whiskey in a glass container and let steep for 2 hours at room temperature.
- Strain the tea leaves completely using a cheesecloth or super fine sieve (or remove the tea bags).
- In a blender, combine the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, bergamot oil and vanilla, and blend for a few seconds at low speed. Add the Earl Grey infused whiskey to the mix and pulse a few times until everything is well combined and homogeneous (we don't want to overmix because the heavy cream whips and can get thick!).
- Pour into a glass bottle or mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.
- Enjoy!
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