By Tyson Buhler (2023)

Fleur Noire Highball

Tyson Buhler, Death & Co’s National Director of Food & Beverage, created this to celebrate the launch of our collaboration with Art of Tea: Fleur Noire, a rose- and apple-enhanced Pu-erh blend. Delivering the flavors of this soul-warming tea to a cocktail takes a couple of simple preparatory steps: first, you make a syrup from steeped tea and sugar, then add a trio of acids to convert the syrup into a cordial. Equal parts cordial and apple brandy, lengthened with cold seltzer (please chill your seltzer!) results in a complex, refreshing, sweater-season-appropriate highball. 

In addition to Tyson's highball (and its component tea syrup and cordial), we've also included instructions for infusing spirits with Fleur Noire to bring its flavors to any style of cocktail.

Fleur Noire Highball
1½ ounces Clear Creek 8-Year Apple Brandy 
1½ ounces Fleur Noir Cordial
4 ounces cold seltzer
Garnish: 1 lemon wedge

Combine all of the ingredients except the seltzer in a collins glass, then fill the glass with ice cubes. Top with the seltzer and stir once. Garnish with the lemon wedge.


Fleur Noire Tea Syrup
200g water
10g Fleur Noire
200g granulated sugar

Heat the water to 195°F and combine with the tea. Let steep for 4 minutes, then strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve or paper filter. Add the sugar and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a store container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 4 weeks.


Fleur Noire Tea Cordial
Prepare a batch of Fleur Noire Tea Syrup. Weigh the syrup in a bowl and add 2% (by weight) of citric acid, 1% of malic acid and 0.5% of lactic acid. Whisk until the acids have dissolved. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

Fleur Noire Tea Infusion
750ml bottle of spirit
30 grams Fleur Noire tea

Combine the spirit and tea in a bowl and stir to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Pass the infusion through a fine-mesh sieve. If any particles remain in the infusion, strain it again through a paper filter. Funnel back into the spirit bottle and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 months.