Special Iced Teas

A tea-lover's alternative to traditional holiday egg nog. With only 2 eggs, this isn't a particularly thick nog and it has a bold tea flavor as well.

• 6 tea bags
• 2 eggs
• 14 oz condensed milk, sweetened
• 1 quart milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Ground nutmeg
• Whipped cream

In one cup of boiling water, brew all 6 tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags and let tea cool. Add beaten eggs, milks, vanilla and salt. Mix well and serve topped with whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg.
Serves 8

• 2 cups boiling water
• 4 teaspoons loose English breakfast tea, or 4 tea bags
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• Juice of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons Simple Syrup
• Ice, for serving
• Orange slices, for garnish

Pour water over tea, and steep 5 to 7 minutes. Strain, and refrigerate. Stir in bourbon, juices, and syrup. Serve over ice with garnish.

• 1 jigger (1 -1/2 ounces) dark rum
• 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 6 tablespoons strong tea, chilled
• Garnish: orange slice and mint sprig

In a highball glass half filled with ice combine rum, orange juice and tea. Stir. Garnish with orange slice and mint.
Recipe makes one serving Rum Refresher.

A creamy iced tea, with some spicy hints. An iced tea recipe for all chai fans. Only a couple of spices, but enough to make a delicious impact.

• 6 cups water
• 8 tea bags, black
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 4 tbs sugar
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tsp cardamom
• Ice, crushed

Boil the water and steep tea bags with cardamom for 5 minutes. Strain out teabags and let cool. Put ice into 4 glasses, and add tea. Leave about a quarter of the glass empty. To each glass add, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup of milk.
Serves 4

Though not a tea drink, this spicy milk drink would appeal to all the chai fans. Thandai drinks are popular in India during the colour festival of Holi.

• 15 almonds
• 2 tsp aniseed
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 8 cardamom pods
• 12 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 300ml water
• 400ml milk
• 4 tsp crushed ice

Grind all the spices, with the almonds separate. Blend together in a large bowl, and add water and milk. Strain through cheesecloth until liquid is smooth. Serve cold.
Serves 4-5

A wonderfully tart recipe for cranberry iced tea. The name comes from the cranberry bogs in the Boston area. Regardless, it's a very refreshing drink for a summer's day.

• 4 quarts water
• 1 cup sugar
• 15 tea bags
• 12 oz frozen cranberry juice concentrate

Heat water to boiling, and add sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add tea bags, remove from heat and let steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, and add cranberry juice concentrate.
Stir until melted and mixed, then allow to cool to room temperate before refrigerating. Serve over ice.
Serves 14

An iced tea, spiced with cloves and allspice. Basically, another variation of an iced chai tea. Spicy doesn't have to mean hot. This recipe will still cool you down, but with some kick.

• 3 tbs loose tea
• 4 cups water
• 12 whole cloves
• 12 allspice berries
• 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
• Lemon wedges

Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer with tea, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. Steep the mix for about 5 minutes. Strain out all the spices and tea leaves, and then put in the fridge to chill thoroughly. Serve this spiced ice tea with lemon wedges, over ice.
Serves 4

• Ice cubes
• 3 ounces green tea, chilled
• 2 ounces gin
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup
• 1 sprig fresh mint

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the tea, gin and simple syrup; shake until frothy and chilled. Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the mint.

• 1 ounce vodka
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce light rum
• 1 ounce tequila
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 4 ounces cola
• Ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker, combine the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, lemon juice and sugar over 3 or 4 ice cubes. Shake vigorously.
Strain into a mixing glass almost filled with ice. Add the cola and stir well.
Recipe makes one serving Long Island Iced Tea.

• 1 shot light tequila
• 1 shot light rum
• 1 shot gin
• 1 shot vodka
• 1 ounce Triple Sec
• 1 shot fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup cola
• Garnish: two lemon slices

In a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine tequila, rum, gin, vodka, Triple Sec and lemon juice.
Shake the mixture for 30 seconds, and strain it into 2 tall glasses filled with ice cubes.
Divide the cola between the glasses and garnish drinks with lemon slices.
Recipe makes two servings Island Iced Tea.

• Crushed ice
• Slice lemon
• Superfine sugar to taste
• 1-1/2 ounces rum or brandy
• Freshly brewed, hot tea
• Fresh mint sprigs

Fill a 14-ounce Collins glass three-quarters full with crushed ice. Add the lemon slice, sugar and rum or brandy. Fill with tea and stir gently. Garnish with mint.
Recipe makes one serving Viennese Iced Tea.

• 2 tablespoons English Breakfast or Darjeeling Tea
• 3 cups sugar
• 1-cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup lemon juice
• Crushed ice
• Lemon slices
• Mint sprigs
• Powdered sugar

Pour a quart of boiling water over the tea and steep for 3 hours.
Make syrup of the sugar and 1 cup of cold water by boiling for 10 minutes. Add the mint leaves and infuse for 2 hours or until the tea is ready.
Strain tea and syrup and combine with the lemon juice. Serve in 12- or 14-ounce glasses filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with lemon slices, mint sprigs, and dust the top with powdered sugar. Without the garnish, this brew will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Recipe makes 12 to 14 servings Russian Iced Tea.

• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice ( 4 ounces)
• 1 cup bourbon (8 ounces)
• Ice Cubes
• 1 quart plus 1 cup unsweetened iced tea (40 ounces)

In a two-quart pitcher, muddle or mash the lemon wedges, sugar and mint leaves with a large wooden spoon until a thick syrup forms. Add the orange juice, lemon juice and bourbon and stir to combine. Fill the pitcher with ice cubes and add the iced tea, then stir to combine.

• 7 cups water
• 3 Darjeeling tea bags
• 4 thin slices fresh ginger
• 1 vanilla bean, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons honey

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add tea, ginger, vanilla bean, cinnamon and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes, adding milk near the end of the simmering time.
Stir in honey. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 3 minutes. Strain through a sieve to remove spices. Chill.
Serve over ice.

• 150 ml Iced Tea
• 40 ml rum
• 5 tsp lemon juice

Combine iced tea, rum and lemon juice. Serve over ice.

• 6 cups water
• 4 red zinger teas bags
• 4 raspberry zinger tea bags
• 1 orange, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 lemon, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Sprigs fresh mint, for garnish
• Ice

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add tea bags and steep for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add remaining 2 cups water. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
Fill a large pitcher with ice. Add orange and lemon slices and chilled tea. Pour into glasses with ice, and garnish with mint.