With spring on the horizon (seriously Mother Nature, just STOP with the snow and ice already!!), it’s time to start thinking about patios and sunshine, and with those thoughts in mind I want to share a couple of my favorite warm weather tea cocktails with you. Nothing beats an afternoon relaxing on the patio or in the back yard with a cocktail in hand!
First, for those of you who think alcohol and caffeine together is going a bit too far, I’ll share one of my favorite herbal tea cocktails. This drink combines the refreshing and tart notes of hibiscus with the sweet berry flavours of Chambord Liqueur.
Hibiscus Quencher
Ingredients:
Hibiscus Tea
Chambord Liqueur
Ice
Directions:
First steep 10g of loose (or 4 teabags) hibiscus tea in 5 cups of boiling water for about ten minutes. Remove the tea and refrigerate until well chilled. Once the tea has been chilled, fill a highball glass with ice, 1oz of Chambord Liqueur and then pour in the hibiscus tea.
The second cocktail is a little more ingenious and takes the traditional Gin & Tonic to the next level!
G & Tea
Ingredients:
Gin
Tea
Tonic
Directions:
For this cocktail you’ll need to find a container; canning jars work really well. Pour 1 cup of gin into the jar and add 3 teaspoons of your favorite loose leaf tea (or 2 tea bags). Allow the tea to steep in the gin overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the teabags, or strain the gin into a fresh container, then make your cocktail according to your usual gin and tonic recipe. This drink combines all of the great features of a classic Gin & Tonic while adding a subtle, yet delicious twist!
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do! Let’s all drink drinks and think happy thoughts to encourage the summer weather to hurry up and get here!!
-JH