This Earl Grey Caviar Martini from Hong Kong’s multisensory bar, Quinary, is a firework display of flavors and textures. The menu describes this drink as “Everything/Fun” because it literally has everything in it. It’s their best selling and an award winning cocktail made with Cointreau, Ketel One Citroen vodka, elderflower syrup, and dosed with a fancy serving of Earl Grey tea caviar. That last ingredient is their take on a molecular gastronomy boba. Finally, the concoction is topped with Earl Grey tea “air,” which basically a foam with the tea aromatics suspended in the bubbles.
There’s is some layering in terms of flavor, but the vodka is very present throughout the cocktail, which may be overpowering and might not be everyone’s cup of tea (pun intended). But what really puts this drink over the top is its highly experiential and visual component of having a big tower of foam that really tastes and smells like Earl Grey. It is celebrated by camera flashes every time one is served and a drinker tries to take that fun first sip from the glass without getting foam on his or her nose. Tip: drink this with your head tilted back, similarly to how one takes a heady pint of Guinness. The Earl Grey Martini has gained much notoriety in a short period of time that even the The Bar Awards for Hong Kong was compelled to name it drink of the year.
