If I recall, Jean-Georges treated the mix as a real tea, steeping the ingredients in boiling water and then serving the tea sans chunks of anything. I do that if I’m serving this after dinner to guests — you’d be surprised what a great digestif it makes– but for myself, when I’m having the tea computer-side, I don’t bother with a pot or a strainer.
In fact, I don’t even bother peeling the ginger or taking away the outer husk of the lemongrass, both things I’d do if I were cooking with these ingredients. I just cut a few slices of ginger and an inch or so of lemongrass — with the exception of the tippy top of the lemongrass, which is tough and reedy, I use all of the stalk — drop the bits in a heatproof glass, pour in a little honey and then fill with hot water. And when it’s all gone, I fill’er up again. You’d be surprised how many refills you can get out of a few slices of these hot and spicy ingredients. Even on round three or four, this isn’t a drink for the flavor-fragile.
It’s still chilly here and so I’m still drinking the tea hot, but when the weather changes, I’ll brew it double-strength and sip it over ice. In fact, writing this gave me an idea — I wonder if I could brew it quadruple strength, give it more honey or some sugar syrup and turn it into a sorbet. Hmmmm.