How To Make A London Fog

Can’t decide between tea and coffee? The London Fog may be your answer: an Earl Grey tea latte, spiced with vanilla. With frothy milk and a hint of sweetness – but less caffeine than your average coffee – it’s the ultimate comfort drink. Here’s how to make your own at home this winter.

What Is A London Fog?

A London Fog is a hot, tea-based drink consisting of an Earl Grey tea bag, steamed milk and a sweetener (usually vanilla). There are differing stories about where the drink originates from, with some claiming the first London Fog was concocted at the now-closed Buckwheat Café in Vancouver, Canada during the early 1990s. 

As the story goes, a regular called Mary Loria was pregnant, and was keen to get her hot drink fix without the caffeine, so ordered an Earl Grey tea and frothy milk concoction. ‘I had severe morning sickness, so a lot of things didn’t taste right,’ Loria said. ‘There was this young woman who worked there, she was awesome and we got to know her over time. I asked her to make me an Earl Grey tea, but with skim milk.’ Despite the barista’s skepticism, she made the drink, and it worked. Before long, the trend had caught on, and other cafes in the region began serving it.

Others, however, believe the London Fog can be tracked back to its eponymous city, with the name alluding to the thick, smog-ridden skies of the 1950s, which the frothy drink somewhat resembles.

Wherever it started, the tea latte is now enjoyed all over the world. It’s particularly big in the US: you can order it in most coffee shops, including Starbucks, where it’s known as an Earl Grey Latte, and there are a few cold ready-to-drink versions. But the London Fog is very simple to make and can be brewed at home with just four ingredients: below we share an easy recipe from Twinings.

London Fog Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Earl Grey teabag
• 100ml boiling water
• 20ml vanilla syrup
• Steamed milk

Method:

1. Infuse the Earl Grey teabag in 100ml of freshly boiled water for 2 – 3 minutes.
2. Discard the teabag.
3. Fill one third of the latte glass with the Earl Grey tea.
4. Add 15-20ml of Monin Vanilla Syrup ( = 3 Tsp.)
5. Top with steamed milk and serve immediately.

Recipe from Twinings