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Arctic Star

Inspired by the brave men and women of the Royal and Merchant Navies during World War II, this fruity and floral cocktail marries Earl Grey tea and succulent orange marmalade and will surely send your taste buds on a historic and flavourful voyage!

Skill

Intermediate

Style

Spirited

Technique

Stirred

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Earl Grey tea-infused Broken Shed Vodka (recipe follows)
  • 2 bar spoons sweet orange marmalade
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • Garnish: peated whisky and orange twist

Earl Grey Tea Vodka

  • 15 Earl Grey tea bags
  • 750 ml Broken Shed Vodka

Add the tea bags to a glass container. Cover with Broken Shed Vodka and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain back into your original bottle.

Directions

Stir ingredients in a shaker to incorporate the marmalade; stir again with ice. Double strain into a double rocks glass over a large spherical ice cube. Spray the top of the drink with peated whisky and garnish with an orange twist.

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Arctic Star

Created by Johnny Hall

There’s a story behind every great cocktail. This one is inspired by, and dedicated to the brave men and women of the Royal and Merchant Navies who took part in the Arctic Convoy runs during World War Two.

Cameron Taylor, grandson of Royal Navy Veteran AB William Taylor approached Johnny Hall to create an Arctic Convoy inspired cocktail to honor his grandpa’s memory. The trips between the north of Scotland to the Soviet ports within the Arctic Circle delivered vital food, munitions and supplies to keep Britain’s ally in the war. Described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as “the worst journey in the world”, these sailors navigated gale-force winds, sub-zero temperatures, mines, and Nazi submarines to deliver their precious cargo.  

Veterans of the Arctic Convoys, including AB William Taylor, who took part in six convoys while serving on the HMS Vigilant between 1942 - 1946, were recognized with the Arctic Star medal which was created by the British Government in 2012.

When he approached Broken Shed Ambassador Johnny Hall with the idea for this cocktail, Cameron Taylor had only two requirements in mind.

  1. Broken Shed Vodka must be the hero ingredient. Vodka is the spirit of choice within the Arctic Circle, but the use of Broken Shed is symbolic of AB William Taylor later emigrating to New Zealand.
  2. This cocktail must also include Scotch Whisky, both in recognition of AB William Taylor’s Scottish home, and the start point of the Arctic Convoys.

Taking inspiration from naval rations, the Arctic Star recipe calls for a quintessentially British Earl Grey tea-infused Broken Shed Vodka to be combined with bitters and sweet orange marmalade. Scotland is credited with developing marmalade in the 18th century and it was rationed to one jar every two months per person during WWII. Plus, oranges were such a rarity and novelty in the UK during this time, often left in Christmas stockings as presents. A peated whisky mist gives this cocktail a lovely nose without overpowering the vodka, while also serving as a visual reference to the dangers of fog en route to the Soviet ports.

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