Alcohol-free · alcohol-free
London Fog
Made with vanilla syrup · Mary Loria, Buckwheat Café, Vancouver
- mug
- none
- build
London Fog
- 11 Earl Grey tea bag (or 2 tsp loose tea)
- 4 oz120 ml freshly boiled water
- ½ oz15 ml vanilla syrup
- 6 oz180 ml milk, steamed and frothed
- Steep the Earl Grey in the just-boiled water for 3-4 minutes, then remove the tea.
- Stir the vanilla syrup into the hot tea.
- Steam or froth the milk, pour it into the tea while holding back the foam, then spoon the foam over the top.
Garnish: none (a pinch of dried lavender or cinnamon is optional)
The syrup
In this recipe
Vanilla Syrup½ oz15 ml
Vanilla syrup is simple syrup infused with vanilla: dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water, steep a split vanilla bean in it for 30 minutes (or stir in 1 tbsp extract once cool), and use 2 tbsp per 12 oz latte.
Direct: 1/2 oz vanilla syrup, up to 3/4 oz for a sweeter cup.
As printed: 15-20 ml (1/2-3/4 oz) vanilla syrup (Twinings); '1 shot' vanilla syrup (Wikibooks). Loria's original used vanilla sugar.
Or use
Lavender Syrup¼ oz7 ml
Lavender syrup is simple syrup steeped with dried culinary lavender.
For the lavender variant, split the sweetener: 1/4 oz lavender syrup + 1/4 oz vanilla syrup. Honey-lavender syrup works the same way.
As printed: Not in the classic. Imbibe reports Vancouver cafés selling a 'Vancouver Fog' with lavender added.
Where it comes from
It is usually credited to Mary Loria. In the mid-1990s, pregnant and unable to face coffee, she had Vancouver's Buckwheat Café steam milk with Earl Grey and sweetened it with vanilla sugar. She didn't name the drink, and other cafés, including Island Coffeehouse in Langley, Washington, claim to have made it first.
Source: London Fog recipe (Twinings), as published by Country & Town House by Twinings.
Checked against: Country & Town House: How To Make A London Fog (Twinings recipe) · Wikibooks Cookbook: London Fog · Imbibe: The London Fog's History Is Anything But Clear (2026) · Vancouver Is Awesome / Richmond News: interview with Mary Loria · Sprudge: What Is A London Fog?
Gear for this drink
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Zulay Kitchen 2-in-1 Metal Lemon & Lime Squeezer
Best for Fresh citrus for sours and lemonade
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