Lapsang souchong and bitter orange soda

Imagine the flavour of drinking orange juice next to a campfire and you've already conjured the flavour of this lapsang souchong and bitter orange soda. Get this unique iced bevvie in your drinks rotation now "summer" (translation for non British English speakers: the season where you carry sunglasses, a brolly, and a jacket) is upon us.

What is bitter / sour orange?

Bitter orange (Citrus × aurantium) is also known by several other names, including sour orange, Seville orange, marmalade orange, and som saa ส้มซ่า (the Thai name). This particularly acerbic citrus fruit is native to Southeast Asia and has spread to many other parts of the world, where it's used in both culinary and medicinal preparations as well as in perfumes.

Quite a few well-known liqueurs contain bitter orange as a key ingredient, utilising the distinctive flavour to add complexity and depth. Some notable examples include Grand Marnier, Curaçao (made with the dried peels of the Laraha orange, a variety of bitter orange), Cointreau, Triple Sec, Aperol, Campari, and Picon.

Sour orange peel is also not uncommon in some styles of beer, especially Belgian Witbier. Lots of brewers are also adding it to IPAs.

The bad news is bitter orange juice isn't the easiest ingredient to source. I buy mine at Persepolis in Peckham. You can also order ab naranj (sour orange juice) from Persepolis online, but if you live locally, don't do yourself the disservice of missing out on their cafe (nearly everything can be made vegan) and shop.

What is lapsang souchong?

Lapsang Souchong is a type of black tea originating from the Wuyi region in the Fujian province of China. Known for its unique smoky flavor and aroma that sets it apart from other black teas, it pairs surprisingly well with orange.

Unlike sour orange juice, lapsang souchong is easily found. Most larger supermarkets stock lapsang souchong teabags. Specialist tea shops will be able to provide a higher quality ingredient, but I would personally save that to drink and savour on its own.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Lapsang souchong and bitter orange soda

Bitter orange, known in Thai as som saa, has a deeply concentrated orange flavour as well as some bitterness. Paired with smoky black tea, it feels like drinking orange juice next to a campfire.

Servings: 1 glass

Equipment

• 1 47cl (16oz) glass

Ingredients

Brewed tea

• 1 teabag lapsang souchong
• 50 millilitres boiling water 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon

Per glass

• Ice to fill a glass
• 1 ½ tablespoons 1:1 sugar syrup
• 1 tablespoon bitter orange juice (som saa)
• 130 millilitres soda water
• 40 millilitres brewed lapsang souchong tea

Instructions

• Brew the tea by steeping the tea bag in the boiling water and allow to cool. Squeeze the bag in your fist to extract as much concentrated liquid as possible.
• Fill a glass with ice. To the brim! Add the bitter orange juice and sugar syrup.
• Pour the soda in next, followed by the concentrated tea.

Notes

If you're not sure of the volume your drinkware holds, simply blend all of the ingredients except the ice in a jug, pour it into glass(es), and top with ice. You'll lose the layered visual effect, but if it saves time and eliminates stress, who cares?