Cocktail of the Week: Darby's Life's a peach tea – recipe

A peach-flavoured cooler with fragrant earl grey and a blast of good gin? Yes please.

It’s the last bank holiday weekend for months, so make the most of it by giving southern Europe’s favourite thirst-quencher a boozy makeover.

Life’s a peach tea

Serves 1

For the peach puree
1 peach
50g sugar

For the drink
1½ tsp earl grey tea leaves (or 1 teabag)
50ml gin
15ml fresh lemon juice
35ml peach puree (see method)
1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig mint, to serve

Put the kettle on, brew a 100ml cup of strong earl grey tea, leave to cool, then put in the fridge to chill.

For the peach puree, score the peach a few times along the vertical (this will make it easier to peel later), then pop it in a pan with the sugar and 100ml cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the fruit softens and the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool a little, then peel and stone the peach, and blend the flesh until smooth; if need be, add a little of the poaching syrup to loosen the puree and make it easier to blitz.

To build the drink, put a handful of ice in a shaker, add the gin, lemon juice and peach puree (save any excess for a second round, or a bellini, because it’s a bank holiday weekend and you’re worth it), shake hard, then pour over fresh ice into a highball or collins glass. Top with the cold tea and stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint, and serve.

Wesley Yeung, head bartender, Darby’s, London SW11

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