Recipe courtesy of Alex Black, managing partner, Laowai.

Pair with: Asian-flavoured pork dishes.

• 2 oz Lapsang Bourbon (see recipe below)

• 1 oz Salted Asian Pear Syrup (see recipe below)

• 4 drops Apothecary Mystic Caravan Bitters 

• Absinthe mist 

• Garnish: dehydrated pear slice, lapsang tea smoke

Add Lapsang Bourbon, syrup and bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a pourable container (Laowai uses a cast-iron tea pot). Mist a rocks glass with absinthe, then add a king ice cube and slice of dehydrated pear. Fill with lapsang tea smoke. Pour cocktail into glass tableside. Serves 1. 

Lapsang Bourbon

• 1 bottle (750 mL) Evan Williams Bib Bourbon

• 15 g Lapsang Souchong tea leaves

Mix tea and bourbon together in a clean, glass 1 L container. Let sit sealed at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain out tea and return liquid to bottle. 

Salted Asian Pear Syrup

• 1.5 cups fresh Asian pear juice 

• 1.5 cups organic cane sugar 

• 1.75 oz gomme syrup

• 2.5 tsp Maldon sea salt 

Add all ingredients to a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a light boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Place in glass container and store in fridge. Makes about 1.5 cups.