HAPPY NEW YEAR! CELEBRATE WITH TEA-COCKTAILS

Staying home this New Year’s Eve? Add to the fun by trying these tea-based cocktails. Don’t be intimidated. Making cocktails at home is very simple.

No matter what you fancy, we have a cocktail recipe for every taste. Just shake, stir, or pour away.

ZESTY GIN & TEA - Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:
-1 ½ fluid oz. gin
- 1 ½ fluid oz. cold EARL GREY CLASSIC tea infused with honey (while steeping the tea, add 1 ½ oz. honey).
Instructions:
-Combine the gin and strained tea infusion then top up with tonic water
-Squeeze lemon peel over and serve in a high ball glass

APRICOT BLOSSOM - Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:

4 mint leaves, plus one sprig for garnish

¹⁄₄ oz. simple syrup

1 ¹⁄₂ oz. brewed ORANGE & SPICE tea, chilled to room temperature

1 oz. medium-bodied rum

¹⁄₂ oz. apricot liqueur

¹⁄₂ oz. lemon juice

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the mint leaves and simple syrup so the mint releases its oils. Fill the shaker with ice, add the remaining ingredients, and shake vigorously. Pour into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with mint sprig.

VERRY BERRY MARGARITAS - Yield: 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

3 cups water

3/4 cup VERRY BERRY tea

1/3 cup sweetener (Can use cane sugar or agave)

5-6 ice cubes

1/2 cup tea concentrate

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 ounces silver tequila

Instructions:

1. To make the tea concentrate, bring 3 cups water to a boil, add tea, stir, remove from heat, and let steep for 30 minutes.
2. Strain into a jar or glass container using a fine mesh strainer and add sweetener to taste. Stir to dissolve and let cool.
3. To make two margaritas, add ice, cooled hibiscus tea concentrate, lime juice and tequila to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously to combine.
4. Pour over two glasses with ice. Salt or sugar rim is optional. Garnish with lime wedge. If too strong, dilute with a splash of sparkling water.

Store VERRY BERRY tea concentrate covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, though best when fresh.

SPARKLING POMEGRANATE BLACK CURRANT - Yield: 4-6 cocktails

Ingredients:

6 oz. vodka

6 oz. pomegranate juice

6 oz. Black Currant Juice

3 tablespoons black currant tea simple syrup*

Chilled Prosecco

(Optional brown sugar rime)

1 lemon wedge

*Black Tea Syrup, makes 1 cup of simple syrup

1 cup water

2 rounded teaspoons of BLACK CURRANT tea

1 cup sugar

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, tea and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved and the liquid is golden brown. Chill until ready to use (I leave the tea in until the solution is cooled.)
2. If you the sugar rim, swipe a lemon wedge around the top of the champagne glass and then immediately press the glass into the sugar. Let the sugar rim dry.
3. Add a few ice cubes to each glass and in a cocktail shaker full of ice add the vodka, juices, and strained tea syrup. Shake and pour over the ice in 4 glasses and then top with chilled prosecco. Serve immediately.

CHAMOMILE HONEY & WHISKEY COCKTAIL - Yield: 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

6 rounded teaspoons CHAMOMILE tea

4 cups hot water

4 tablespoons honey

3 fluid ounces whiskey

3 orange slices

3 lemon slices

Instructions:

1. Pour hot water over tea, add honey and whiskey. Let steep
2. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Strain tea/whiskey mixture into the shaker. Shake well. Divide fruit slices between two glasses and pour cocktail over the fruit. Can add extra ice if desired.

KENTUCKY HALF-AND-HALF Yield: 8 to 10 cocktails

Ingredients:

Lemon Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

Peeled zest of 4 lemons, plus 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice

16 oz. bourbon, chilled

16 oz. strong-brewed black tea, chilled

Instructions:

Frozen lemon wedges or ice and maraschino cherries for serving.

Syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar, lemon zest, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Strain, discarding zest; stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate in an airtight container until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 cups.

Kentucky Half-and-Half: In a pitcher, stir together syrup, bourbon, and tea. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day, if desired.

Serve in glasses with frozen lemon wedges, mint sprigs, and cherries.

Cook's Notes: Make the Lemon Simple Syrup ahead of time, it needs to cool before you make the drink.

Mixing the 3 ingredients for the Kentucky Half-and-Half takes just minutes, and the drink can be made-ahead, up to one day, and refrigerated.

Many alcohols take well to infusing with tea, but when you get used a particular product, you will discover that brands are quite different from one another. This is especially true with gin, where different styles of juniper berry and spices will react differently with various teas.

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