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Cocktail History
The Calico Tea is a modern cocktail that was created by Jon and Lindsay Yeager in Nashville, Tennessee and was first published in their book The Ultimate Guide to Beer Cocktails: 50 Creative Recipes for Combining Beer & Booze. The recipe mixes a base of tart apply brandy and barleywine ale, the strongest type of beer that has a distinct malty flavor, with sweet citrus, a unique sage black tea syrup, and aromatic bitters.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Barleywine Ale: This is a type of beer made with English hops, malted barley, yeast, and water. We used Zymurgy Brewing Company Barrel-Aged Talisman 2022 English Barleywine because it has a rich, strong malty flavor.
Apple Brandy: This is a type of brandy made with apples, pears, spices, sugar, and alcohol. We used Calvados because it’s a high-quality apple-flavored brandy with notes of pear, apricot, and baking spices. For a lower-proof version of this drink, try Escape Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cognac Alternative and apple cider in place of the apple brandy.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Sage Black Tea Syrup: This is a sweetener made with sage leaves, black tea, sugar, and water.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters.
Sage Leaves: This an evergreen herb. We used fresh sage leaves.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Bottle Opener: This is used to open bottles. We used the OXO Steel Bottle Opener.
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Calico Tea features aromas of sage with a slight apple note and starts with the flavors of both dark ale and black tea right away followed by the sweet, ripe apple from the Calvados and aftertaste with more apple flavor alongside the malty finish of the beer.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: This was the second of two drinks we tried that called for barleywine ale, a new type of beer to us, and we were split on which was our favorite. Kendall really enjoyed this one compared to the other made with cachaça; meanwhile, Alex thought it was a bit too sweet for him.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Having ‘tea’ in the name of your cocktail can go a few different ways. We’ve made several that ended up being light, airy, and low-ABV, but on the flip side, you have the Long Island Iced Tea, the legendarily strong cocktail of dive bars everywhere. This one is on middle ground, with a good amount of Calvados accompanied by a strong ale to make a serious sipper worthy of aficionados. The apple brandy is heavy in this drink, putting the sweet fruit center stage while the beer comes in as a great supporting flavor to bring it all back to a serious level. The sage syrup lends some aromas (helped by the actual sage on top of the drink), but the black tea aspect of it lends the real supporting flavor. Overall, I thought this drink was decent for those who like slightly sweeter drinks but don’t mind a strong knockdown of a cocktail.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’m glad we found multiple uses for the barleywine ale while we had a bottle. I think that, of the two cocktails we tried that featured its strong malty flavor, this was my favorite one. The tart apple and lemon flavors along with the herbal tea syrup ended up being a delicious flavor combination that had a refreshing and sweet tang. This recipe is certainly worth a reshake if you don’t mind putting in a little work!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Ultimate Guide to Beer Cocktails: 50 Creative Recipes for Combining Beer & Booze by on and Lindsay Yeager.
Add barleywine ale, apple brandy, lemon juice, sage black tea syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with sage leaves.
Ingredients
Directions
Add barleywine ale, apple brandy, lemon juice, sage black tea syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with sage leaves.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Escape Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cognac Alternative and apple cider in place of the apple brandy and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters to try a lower-proof version of this drink.
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More Beer Cocktails
If you like this beer-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Stout Sangaree: A Irish stout beer and port wine cocktail made with nutmeg
Sicilian Pour Over: A coffee stout beer cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, cardamom bitters, and an orange peel
Black Velvet: A stout beer cocktail made with sparkling wine and a lemon twist
Hop Over: An IPA cocktail made with genever, velvet falernum, lemon juice, orange flower water, and a lemon wheel
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