London Fog Drink – A Beautiful Mess

If you are looking for a cozy beverage that’s easy to make at home, look no further than this London Fog drink recipe. This is essentially an Earl Grey tea latte sweetened with honey and vanilla. While Earl Grey tea contains less caffeine than coffee, this London Fog drink will still deliver a jolt to your morning or a little afternoon pick me up.

London Fog is a drink you can find on the Starbucks menu as well as many large and small coffee shops. If you prefer tea over coffee, it’s certainly something you should try! The drink gets its name from the steamed milk (foam) on top, resembling a foggy London day. This combined with the fact it’s a tea-based drink, rather than coffee or espresso.

Related: Chai Latte, Dirty Chai, Matcha Latte, Turmeric Latte, Starbucks Medicine Ball or Thai Tea Boba.

Ingredients in a London Fog

• Earl Grey Tea – Use traditional Earl Grey tea or a decaf variation. This adds a bergamot flavor that is key to this recipe.
• Water – For brewing your tea bag. 
• Honey – For added flavor and sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract – For added flavor. 
• Dried Lavender Buds – You add some dried culinary lavender buds to your latte for a subtle hint of lavender flavor.

Sometimes London Fog drinks include lavender simple syrup, like in a Lavender Latte.

How to make a London Fog

Brew the tea – Brew the Earl Grey tea. I brew this rather strong, with less water as we will be adding milk. Stir in the honey and vanilla.

Froth the milk – Now to make the frothed milk. If you have an espresso machine with a steam wand, place the wand just below the surface of the milk and turn it on.

Steam – Tilt the pitcher slightly to create a swirling motion. Continue steaming until the milk has doubled in volume and has a smooth, velvety texture. If you don’t have a steam wand, you can heat the milk on the stovetop and whisk by hand or use a milk frother vigorously until it becomes frothy.

Serve – Pour the frothed milk into the hot tea mixture and enjoy.

More Coffee & Tea Drinks

London Fog Tea Latte Variations

• Choice of Tea – Substitute Earl Grey for another black tea or, if looking to avoid caffeine, an herbal tea. You can also find decaffeinated Earl Grey tea.
• Choice of Milk – You can use any kind of milk or milk alternative you prefer. While I typically use whole or 2% milk in latte recipes, you could use oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, etc.
• Flavor Variations – While many add lavender to a London Fog, it’s optional. You could also choose to add other flavors like mint simple syrup or rosemary simple syrup.

Try this recipe on cold winter mornings along with our homemade pancakes or cinnamon rolls.