London Fog Love

Part of the inspiration for the name of my blog came out of my love of tea. I mentioned here that my goal is to drink a cup of tea and take time to knit everyday this year, since these two things are very relaxing and enjoyable for me. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't benefit from a little extra self-care.

A little note about my goal - so far I've knit everyday this year, but I did miss one day of drinking a cup of tea. However, I did have a big mug of hot chocolate, so I'm counting it!

So, back to the tea. I will drink almost any different kind of tea - herbal, black, green, rooibos...you name it. I do have one serious addiction though. I could drink about 10 London Fogs a day. If you're asking yourself what a London Fog is, you have been missing out!

T entertaining himself and waiting patiently while his Mama makes herself a drink...

A London Fog is another name for a earl grey tea latte with vanilla syrup. My sister-in-law told me about them many years ago, thinking that it had my name all over it. It sounded good, but at the time I didn't go to any coffee shops very often (since I don't drink coffee..I know, shocking!) so I didn't try it for a month or so. When I tried it, a serious addiction was born. All of a sudden I went from rarely going to coffee shop to wanting to go every single day. Twice. Or three times.

I figured out that I had to learn to make my own pretty quickly. At first I was mixing earl grey tea with vanilla extra and milk, which was OK, but definitely a poor substitute for the real thing. This was the recipe for the real deal:

Homemade London Fog
Hot earl grey tea (I've found that nicer quality earl grey makes a difference, but have been known to use any that I come across in my cabinet)
Milk (cow's milk, almond milk, rice milk, cream - your preference)
Vanilla syrup

Brew a pot of earl grey tea. In a mug (the bigger, the better!), mix a dollop of vanilla syrup with a small amount of milk. The amounts really depend on your preference - I seem to prefer about a teaspoon of vanilla syrup with about one third of a cup of milk. Pour the hot earl grey tea directly in the mug and enjoy.

Pre-kids, I used to take a milk frother and froth the milk and vanilla mixture in a separate cup, then pour the earl grey into a mug, and then add the milk mixture. These days, I'm happy with being able to drink my tea before it's room temperature.

The vanilla syrup is the make-it or break-it ingredient for the drink. You can buy your own from almost any coffee shop. Or, you can learn to make your own. I'll post more about making your own syrup soon.