Hojicha Maple Smoke mocktail recipe
Roasted hojicha, maple and smoked salt for a short, tea-led rocks drink with a dry finish.
Method: Stir · Glass: Double rocks glass · Time: 8 minutes plus chilling · Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 3 oz strong chilled hojicha tea
- ½ oz grade A maple syrup
- ¼ oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 dash alcohol-free aromatic bitters
- 1 small pinch smoked salt
- 1 large cube clear ice
How to make it
- Brew hojicha slightly stronger than a drinking cup, then chill it fully.
- Add the chilled tea, maple syrup, lemon juice, bitters and smoked salt to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until the outside of the glass is cold, then strain over one large cube in a double rocks glass.
- Express an orange peel over the surface and place it beside the cube.
Garnish
One expressed orange peel
Why this balance works
Hojicha brings toast and a soft tannic edge, while maple can make it feel heavy if it is overpoured. The quarter-ounce of lemon is deliberately small: it wakes up the roasted tea without turning the drink into a sour. Smoked salt should read as a finish, not a seasoning note.
Technique to keep
Use a mixing glass rather than stirring the drink in its serving glass. That lets you chill and dilute the tea before it reaches the large cube, so the final drink keeps its shape. A measured pinch of smoked salt is safer and more consistent than trying to flame or smoke the glass at home.
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