Whether at home, during socially distanced COVID-19 lockdowns or at an ever-increasing number of restaurants and cafes, tea is seeing a renaissance in its use as an ingredient in cocktails, mocktails and syrups – and even in food recipes.
While there are many headlines heralding tea-infusion as one of the cocktail trends to watch, the use of tea in cocktails (and in cooking) can be traced back hundreds of years. In fact, one of the first tea-based cocktails of record is English Milk Punch, which dates to the mid-18th century. We also see a strong history of tea being used as an ingredient in early punches, like the classic Philadelphia Fish House Punch dating to the early 1700s.
Tea has long been a unifier for bringing people together from gatherings around the fire in ancient China to teatime and high tea gatherings and rituals. It’s no wonder that even through the pandemic, that part of this reinvigorated interest has included tea-infused cocktails increasingly being part of several spirit specialist education programs and cocktail masterclasses in-person and virtually for both consumers and the trade. What’s interesting from a historical perspective is that during times of prohibition, tea was often the drink of choice – and teacups were often used to camouflage prohibited alcoholic consumption.
A Plethora of Possibilities
Tea is being used in cocktails in several interesting ways, including:
---tea-infused syrups that are then added to cocktail or mocktail recipes;
---infusing loose or bagged tea varieties directly into liquor and allowing it to steep at room temperature for several hours, typically followed by refrigeration and consumption within a few hours of the process in order to fully realize the flavor profiles;
---creating concentrates;
---incorporating freshly brewed tea as an essential ingredient, as in the case of tea-infused Hot Toddies or classic cocktails such as Planter’s Punch;
---cold brews or sun teas made with the intention of spiking with spirits such as rum, bourbon or rye whiskey;
---tea ice cubes embedded with flower pedals or herbs;
---house-made tea bitters;
---tea garnishes, such as candied or fresh teas leaves;
---or as glass rimmers featuring tea-infused sugars, tea smoked salts or ground teas and spices.
An Extra Dimension of Taste and Complexity
Many classic punch recipes can substitute the water base for a tea base to add an extra dimension of taste and complexity to the recipe. According to expert tea-spirit mixologists, some of the primary keys to success are knowing your teas, how intensely you want the flavor to infuse into the cocktail or spirit and finding flavor pairings between the tea and the spirits that truly complement one-another.
The Stash Tea website, for example, houses an ever-growing library of tea-infused recipes and drink recipes, including a cocktail/mocktail recipe section. Last April, Stash Tea shared tea-infused quarantine cocktail recipes that included a Spiked London Fog Tea Cocktail and Wild Raspberry Tea-Infused Cosmopolitan. Over the summer, Stash also shared summer quencher recipes that include a Mango Passionfruit Hard Seltzer, a Chai and Orange Mocktail created by a Stash Tea fan and food blogger, Regent Punch, Pom Raspberry Iced Tea Cocktail, and a Shaken Mango Passionfruit Tea Soda.
So, Why Is Tea a Popular Cocktail & Mocktail Infusion?
Obviously, we’re biased, as are most of you reading this article. We like to think it’s because there is no ingredient that fully engages the senses in the same way as tea. Think about it. From the feel of the dried leaves and flowers to the sound of the water being poured into the pot or brewing container, to the sound of the boiling water, to the beauty of the color of the water changing as the tea steeps, to the intoxicating aroma, to savoring your first sip. Tea is an experience.
From a taste standpoint, we also like to think that no other ingredient offers the same ability to infuse drinks and foods with the same variety, depth, nuance and complexity of flavors as tea. Across all varieties, the possibilities are endless as each type of tea has its own unique flavor profile that when creatively and or expertly infused from both cooking and drinking standpoints is perfect for bringing out the fragrant notes of any recipe. The infusion of tea into traditional recipes stirs things up, creates a new level of interesting and introduces another dimension to the taste profile that, as trends are showing time and again, is captivating consumer palates.
An Ongoing, Year-round Trend
From a seasonality standpoint, there is a tea for every season. That’s why we’re seeing tea cocktail and tea mocktails as an on-going year-round trend. When it comes to summer, fruity teas are infusing their way into summer sangrias, spiked hard seltzers, spiked and un-spiked iced teas, summer punches, mojitos, mint juleps, and a variety of cocktail and mocktail summer quenchers. During the fall months, recipes are trending towards mulled and spiked ciders, mulled wine, and other fall flavor sensations with a tea-infused edge. During winter months, spiked chai-infused libations, tea-infused Hot Toddies and more warmed or brewed recipes reign. And there’s always a tea-infused take on a variety of tried-and-true holiday standbys ranging from tea-infused party-sized punches, to green tea infused St. Patty’s Day Irish Whiskey punches to new takes on the tried and true like weekend tea-infused mimosas, tea-infused Martini’s and Cosmopolitans, Chai Whiskey Sours, tea-infused Margarita’s and nearly any other combination you or your favorite mixologist can imagine.
Stash Tea’s Summer Quenchers
Here are just a few suggested recipes for the summer season:
Mango Passionfruit Hard Seltzer
If there was one alcoholic beverage that could sum up this past year, it’s probably the hard seltzer. We added our own delicious tea-infused twist using our Mango Passionfruit Herbal Tea to create the Stash Tea Hard Seltzer recipe. It’s tropical paradise-in-a-cup. The steps are easy to follow and the summer-y outcome is one that can impress even the biggest cocktail connoisseur person in your friend group. Click the link for easy this delicious, easy-to-follow recipe: Mango Passionfruit Hard Seltzer.
Chai and Orange Mocktail
The warming spices in our Double Spice Chai combine with citrusy orange in this tas-tea chai tea mocktail recipe to create an unforgettable drink. This drink tastes a little bit like fall, thanks to the spices in our Double Spice Chai like cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon; but it also tastes a little bit like spring, thanks to the bright citrusy flavors. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings, so you'll have enough to share if you're feeling generous. Click here for the recipe: Chai and Orange Mocktail created for Stash Tea by Veronica Hendrix. Veronica is a Los Angeles-based journalist, cooking coach, recipe developer, Food Network finalist and podcaster.
Regent Punch
We love all tea cocktails. But this one was created specifically for those moments when you want to treat yourself like royalty. While there is some disparity on the exact ingredients that were originally used to create this recipe, it is widely believed that this simple punch recipe was a favorite of Regent Prince George August Frederic (later to be known as King George VI, late husband of the current Queen Mother). Regent Prince George was known to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in his early years, so if you want to live like an indulgent royal for a moment, give this green tea cocktail a try. Click here for the recipe: Regent Punch.
Pom Raspberry Iced Tea Cocktail
When it comes to summer refreshment, nothing hits the spot like a fruity flavored, sweet iced tea cocktail! The tart berry flavors mixed with sweet tea and rum make for a thirst-quenching delight. What can we say...our fruity cocktail recipe is a must-try! This rum and raspberry tea recipe is easy to follow, easy to make, and even easier to drink. Click here for the recipe: Pom Raspberry Iced Tea Cocktail.
Shaken Mango Passionfruit Tea Soda
When it comes to enjoying drinks during a beachy holiday, our tropical Mango Passionfruit tea is right there with you, ready for the good times. Refreshingly sweet and fruity, this tea soda recipe comes together quickly so you can move on to more important things. Like sitting under the shade and just chillin’. Click here for the recipe: Shaken Mango Passionfruit Tea Soda.
Karen Marten is the communications manager at Stash Tea Company. Stash was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1972 by two hippies seeking a tea euphoria. Since then, Stash Tea’s mission has been to surprise and delight your taste buds with best-in-class ingredients and diverse flavors that brew bold and bright. Stash offers more than 150 different teas to choose from. The company is a certified B Corp, making a public commitment to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. We are part of a global community redefining success as balancing profit and purpose, acting in the best interest of our people, our partnerships and our planet. To learn more, visit StashTea.com.