Lalehzar
Cognac, rye, vermouth and a splash of tea, for old Tehran's boulevard of cafés.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | ml | oz |
|---|---|---|
| Cognac or aged grape brandy | 30 ml | 1 oz |
| Rye whiskey | 15 ml | ½ oz |
| Sweet vermouth (such as Cocchi Storico) | 20 ml | ⅔ oz |
| Black tea and dried lime infusion · homemade, P16 | 10 ml | ⅓ oz |
| Bénédictine | 5 ml | 1 tsp |
| Aromatic bitters | 1 dash |
Ounces are rounded; measure in ml for accuracy. Homemade items link to their own page.
rocks glass
one large cube
orange peel
The story
Lalehzar means “field of tulips.” In the nineteenth century it was a royal tulip garden; by the 1920s it had become Tehran’s grand boulevard of cafés, theatres and the city’s first cinemas, where poets, actors and musicians met late into the night. This urbane, stirred drink is a toast to that Tehran: brandy and rye, sweet vermouth, herbal Bénédictine, and a splash of tea and dried lime from the teahouse next door.
Method
- Stir all ingredients with ice for 25–30 seconds.
- Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
- Express the orange peel over the drink and drop it in.
How it tastes
Deep and polished, with dried fruit, warm spice, herbal sweetness and a dry, tannic, faintly tart finish from tea and dried lime.
Persian taste: talkh-shirin (bittersweet), gas (tannic)
Pair it with
- Food: Kotlet or shami kebab, the food of old Tehran cafés.
- Sweet: Shirini-e tar from the old Lalehzar pastry shops.
- Snack: Salted roasted almonds
Variations
Lalehzar up
Serve straight up in a chilled coupe.
Whiskey Lalehzar
Use 45 ml rye and no cognac for a drier drink.
Balancing tips
- If the tea flavor disappears, increase the infusion to 15 ml.
- Sweet vermouth is intentional here; don’t swap in dry.
Allergens
- Sulfites (vermouth)
- Contains alcohol. Please drink responsibly.
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- Test tea bitterness, flavor persistence and added water.
Watch it mixed
Follow along
Steps light up as the animation plays. Tap a step to jump to it.
Heads-up: this animation was rendered from an earlier draft, so the amounts on screen differ slightly. Follow the ingredient table above.
Tehran (Lalehzar), imagined
