Earl Grey Floral Latte Recipe
A recipe for a floral honey syrup, steamed milk and a strong Earl Grey tea gives you a homemade London Fog. You’ll want to adopt this simple and cozy winter ritual.
Happy January! Whew, it’s cold out there. Let’s warm up with a honey-sweetened Earl Grey floral latte that hints of orange zest and lavender.
In case you missed it, we’re embracing a full Year of East Coast Cozy in 2026 and you can join in from anywhere you are on the planet. Keeping cozy is a mindset that can expand to all parts of our life – home, family, friends, gatherings, community – but it is anchored in the kitchen, the heart of the home.
Put the kettle on and let’s get into this all-new recipe.
Daily afternoon tea is a ritual that brings a cozy moment to my day. If I’m lucky, the winter sun will be slanting through the windows, and I can steal a few quiet moments before the kids get home from school.
I might journal, read or work on a puzzle. I might accompany the tea with a cranberry walnut rogaliki, the ultimate tea-time cookies. It’s a reflective pause that punctuates a busy day.
A fragrant London Fog-style Earl Grey latte is my preferred afternoon sip, using lavender dried from my kitchen garden.
My lavender plants thrive here in Nova Scotia, where I never had much success in Quebec. Every year I dry bundles of it and work lavender into recipes throughout the year, like shortbread, fruit crisps, and these blueberry preserves.
Another wonderful culinary development since moving to the Maritimes is I now have a raw honey supplier. My sister and I share a 32-pound bucket, dividing it up between us into jars of glistening gold.
Raw honey has many health benefits, and in cold and flu season, we consume it liberally. Maple syrup has our hearts, but there’s nothing like a spoonful of honey when your throat is feeling sore.
Simple Tips for an Earl Grey Latte
The cozy ritual of steeping the tea and steaming the milk for this beverage is almost as relaxing as drinking the tea. Here’s how to make the best sip ever.
- Batch prep the honey syrup. This keeps for a few weeks in the fridge, just getting better with age.
- Preheat your cup or mug. We want the tea to stay hot, so fill it with warm water before steeping the tea.
- Brew strong Earl Grey! I always get the tea steeping before I steam the milk.
- Use best quality tea. I love the loose leaf Earl Grey from Spice Trekkers or the luxurious Bergamot Black Tea with dried bergamot citrus peels from Italy. A keepsake from my trip to London last fall was a pretty Morris & Co tin of Earl Grey tea from the V&A gift shop.
- Use Whole Milk for a rich cream tea, steamed very hot.
- For the best foamed milk, use an electric milk frother. Not necessary but fun!
Tip: Avoid microplastics by choosing plant-based tea bags; they should be labeled as such.
Spiced Honey Syrup
A lavender-infused honey syrup sweetens our Earl Grey floral latte. Lavender is traditional, made popular by the London Fog. Sometimes a splash of vanilla is added.
Use the best lavender you can find, ensuring that it is culinary grade. Start local, checking farmer’s markets and local culinary shops. Online in Canada you can find lavender from Provence shipping from Epice de Cru.
I like to add fresh orange peels, to up the citrusy flavour of the bergamot. You could use clementines or mandarin oranges too.
Lastly, for our spiced honey syrup, I sprinkle in a pinch of freshly ground black pepper for a gentle heat that warms the tummy.
Syrup Variations:
The simple honey infusion can be a stepping off point for many other flavour variations.
- Grated ginger
- Green cardamom
- fresh or dried mint
- dried rose petals
- dried clover flowers
Ingredients
- 1 bag Earl Grey tea or 1 tsp loose leaf
- 1/2 cup whole milk or dairy-free milk
- 2 teaspoons Lavender Honey Syrup or to taste
Instructions
- Warm a large tea cup or mug by swirling hot water through it. Place tea bag in the mug and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. We want it to be very strong Earl Grey.
- In a small pot over low heat, warm milk and syrup together until steamy. Remove from heat. Add an immersion frother and froth milk until you have a good inch of foam.
- Pour the frothy milk and foam into the tea. Keep or remove the tea bag, it's up to you. I like to steep the tea a little further once the milk is added.
- Optional: Top with a few sprinkles of dried lavender and serve at once.
Notes
Lavender Honey Orange Syrup Recipe
You’ll want to keep this fragrant syrup on hand all year long as it’s excellent for sweetening tea, hot or cold. It’s my favourite for stirring into herbal infusions like thyme, sage or Greek mountain tea. And this Roasted Apple & Rosemary Tisane is all the more delicious when sweetened with a honey syrup.
Lavender Orange Honey Syrup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw liquid honey
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender buds
- pinch black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the honey and water in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel 5-6 strips of orange into the pot. Add the lavender, pepper and vanilla. Cover the pot and let steep for 2 hours.
- Strain the syrup into a small jar. Can keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
More January Rituals
- I reach for familiar cookbooks with comforting recipes. Here are my 2025 favourites.
- Revisit comfort foods and restorative kitchen rituals.
- At some point I do a pantry restock of healthy ingredients, a cliche, I know. But it does help when I’m creating a family menu plan and I can whip up recipes from the whole foods pantry.
- Make plans for gatherings through the seasons.
A 32 lb honey bucket is AMAZING and I’d love to have a rogaliki with a tea latte 🙂
The floral notes paired with Earl Grey sound both elegant and comforting. This would be perfect for a quiet morning or a relaxing afternoon break stickman clash.