I made this cocktail for some foodie friends a few years ago and they loved it. I recently had a friend unexpectedly over for drinks and, since I had all of the ingredients to hand, made this again. It really is very good despite the strange list of ingredients which shouldn't work together but do.
This recipe makes one cocktail so multiply accordingly
1 part verbena simple syrup (recipe below)
1 part chilled strong green tea
1 1/2 parts Bourbon
1 part fresh lemon juice
Hard cider ( I used a sparkling rose one the first time I made this and a local pear cider this time) to top up the cocktail
Ice
Make the verbena simple syrup by putting 1 bunch of lemon verbena in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring this to a boil, pressing down on the lemon verbena to immerse it in the liquid and, once the liquid has boiled, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain it through a coffee filter, discard the herbs, and decant the syrup into a different container before placing in the fridge to cool. This can be made several days in advance. If you can't find lemon verbena, tarragon would work or rosemary. Use the rosemary syrup sparingly though as it will be very strong.
Place the first 4 ingredients in an ice filled shaker and shake to chill and combine before pouring into an ice cube filled tall glass. Top up with hard cider. This would be much prettier garnished with a sprig of lemon verbena and a slice of lemon but I was busy with appetizers and drinks at the same time and didn't get around to it.