That glass of iced tea gets even better when you stir in a little something extra!
I could claim to have grown up with tea, but it's more truthful to say that, thanks to my dad's job in the Foreign Service, I grew up around it without ever managing to pick up the habit. America is still catching up on tea, although, like the metric system, tea is a big deal almost everywhere else. In Karachi, Pakistan, where I was born, it's masala chai, a black tea enhanced with cinnamon and cardamom. Taiwan, where my sister came along, produces delicate, complex oolongs. In Australia, our last overseas post, tea was a common quaff, but I was too busy sneaking out to drink beer.
Through cocktails, I've come to be an appreciator of tea. It falls right under bitters on my list of ways to add flavour without adding much alcohol or sugar. And it doesn't always mean adding caffeine; although many true teas contain it, lots of green teas have a low caffeine content, and some of the herbal teas and fruit infusions have none at all.
Recipe 1: The Porchard
This Southern-inflected sipper will be best when you can use fresh, ripe peaches. But even unripe peaches with a good fragrance will work. The lemon juice brings brightness.
Note:
The bourbon needs to infuse for a day or two in advance; the infused bourbon can be refrigerated for up to a few weeks.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chilled black tea
- 1 1/2 cups peach-infused bourbon
- 180ml fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons; optional)
- 170g to 340g demerara syrup
- ice
- mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions:
1.
Combine the tea, peach-infused bourbon and lemon juice, if using, in a large pitcher.
2.
Add 170g of the Demerara syrup, then taste; add some or all of the remaining syrup as needed. Refrigerate until well chilled.
3.
When ready to serve, fill 4 glasses with ice.
4.
Take sprigs of mint, slap each one between your palms (to release the herb's oils) and add one sprig to each glass.
5.
Pour the drink over the ice to fill.
Notes:
To make the peach-infused bourbon, place 340g of peeled, sliced fresh peaches in a bowl and cover with 11/2 cups of bourbon. Allow to infuse for 24 to 48 hours, then strain, pressing on the peaches to release any remaining liquids. Discard the solids.
To make the Demerara syrup, combine 1 1/2 cups of Demerara or turbinado sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Cool completely before using or storing (for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator).
Recipe 2: Summer Suzie
Subtle, floral and lightly bitter-sweet, this drink incorporates chamomile tea with the sun-hued, gentian-based aperitif Suze.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chilled chamomile tea
- 120ml old tom gin
- 60ml suze brand aperitif liqueur
- 60ml dry curacao
- ice
- 4 twists of lemon peel, for garnish
Instructions:
1.
Combine the tea, gin, Suze and curaçao in a pitcher, then stir.
2.
Fill 4 high ball glasses with ice and divide the drink among them.
3.
Express a piece of lemon peel over the surface of each drink, then drop the peel in; or roll the peels, skewer them with cocktail picks and rest one across the rim of each glass.
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Recipe 3: La Bergamote Juste
Gin and Earl Grey tea go beautifully together.
The bergamot in the tea complements the botanicals of the gin in this crisp, refreshing drink. To make the honey syrup, dissolve 1/4 cup of honey in 1/4 cup of boiling water, stirring until the honey has dissolved. Cool completely before using.
Ingredients:
- ice
- 90ml chilled earl grey tea
- 44ml ounces citrusy gin
- 22ml ounce honey syrup
- 15ml fresh lemon juice
- 30ml to 60ml ounces tonic water
- twist of grapefruit or orange peel (for garnish)
Instructions:
1.
Fill a high ball glass with ice.
2.
Add the chilled Earl Grey tea, gin, honey syrup and lemon juice, then stir.
3.
Top with the tonic water as needed.
4.
Twist the citrus peel over the top of the drink, then drop it in.
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Recipe 4: High Tea
This simple, delicious concoction highlights oolong tea. To make a crowd-size batch, multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of servings you want, mix in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve, then pour over ice.
Note:
The rich simple syrup can be refrigerated indefinitely in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
- ice
- 60ml brewed, chilled oolong tea
- 44ml applejack
- 15mlchilled rich simple syrup
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Instructions:
1.
Fill a high ball glass with ice.
2.
Combine the chilled tea, applejack, rich simple syrup and orange bitters in a mixing glass, stirring to incorporate.
3.
Pour into the high ball glass.
Note:
To make a rich simple syrup, combine 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a low boil, then cool. Transfer to a heatproof container. Once it has cooled to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate until chilled through; store indefinitely.
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Recipe 5: Barley Tea
The roastiness of the barley tea and the richness of apple brandy and bourbon bring depth to the drink.
Ingredients:
- ice
- 30ml brewed chilled barley tea
- 22ml apple brandy
- 22ml bourbon
- 7ml allspice dram
- ml maraschino liqueur
- 7ml fresh lemon juice
- whole nutmeg, for garnish
Instructions:
1.
Fill a mixing glass with ice, then add the barley tea, apple brandy, bourbon, allspice dram, maraschino liqueur and lemon juice; stir until well chilled.
2.
Strain and pour into a chilled rocks glass.
3.
Use a Micro-plane zester to grate a little fresh nutmeg over the top.