Oak leaf

Oak leaves are the young, lobed leaves of the oak (Quercus), the same tree whose wood ages wine and whisky. Long before a barrel is ever cut, the fresh spring leaf carries its own quiet version of that character: green and tea-like on the nose, with a faint woody, vanilla-tinged sweetness, and above all a firm, mouth-drying tannin. Country winemakers steep young oak leaves into "oak-leaf wine," brewers and foragers infuse them into cordials and vinegars, and cooks use them to add structure and a clean, astringent grip — a plant source of the tannins that give a drink backbone.