While we here at Drink Philly try our hardest to stay out of politics, we were recently invited to a tea party that we just could not refuse. It was the Philadelphia launch of Beefeater's newest product: Beefeater 24. You may be asking yourself what gin has to do with tea, and the answer is, well, everything! Beefeater 24 represents a contemporary take on London gin, in which twelve natural botanicals are steeped in fine grain spirits for 24 hours.

To the palate, Beefeater 24 has an obvious subtlety not found in your typical London gin. While there are definite citrus notes provided by Seville orange, grapefruit, and lemon peels, there is also the presence of something else that one may be shocked to learn, is tea. Over an incredible 18-month period, Gin Master Distiller Desmond Payne found the perfect combination of rare Japanese Sencha tea and Chinese green tea, which creates a gin that contains both complexity and simplicity: perfect for your standard martini or your complex mixology-derived concoction!

Philadelphia is only the fifth market in the United States to have Beefeater 24, and we here at Drink Philly are excited and honored to help launch it into the Philadelphia market. We urge you all to go out and throw your own tea parties with Beefeater 24, and to help, here are a few recipes developed by master mixologists exclusively for Beefeater 24:

• 2 Parts Beefeater 24
• 3/4 Parts Lillet Blanc
• 3/4 Parts Yellow Chartreuse
• 10 rosemary leaves

Muddle 10 rosemary leaves and a lemon peel then add the Beefeater 24, Lillet Blanc and Yellow Chartreuse. Stir gently and double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig wrapped in a lemon twist.

• 5 Parts Beefeater 24
• 1 Part Lillet Blanc
• 2 Dashes of Regan's Orange Bitters

Stirred and served up with a grapefruit twist.

• 2 Parts Beefeater 24
• 1 Part Fever-Tree Tonic
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