Quaran-TEA-ni Series - Part 1

Hello there my fellow Stay-At-Home friends!

Welcome to the first installment in my Quaran-TEA-ni series!
~ A blog about all things tea cocktails that you can make yourself while you're stuck at home.

All it takes is a little tea, a little booze, a touch of sweet, and of course, a garnish.

Right now, we are all being asked to do our part and stay home as much as possible, while only venturing out for the essentials.  (Like tea!)  So why not make the most of being home and try something new?!

Ok but here's the thing...I don't want you to just read this blog, think, "huh, that's pretty cool" and then just move on to the same things that have been occupying your time at home.  No, no, no.  I want you to make these yourself!  And then tell me all about it!  I guarantee you'll impress your family and probably even yourself.  And then when this is all over and we can gather again with friends, you'll be ready to impress them too with your new skills!

Craft cocktails don't have to be complicated.  These tea cocktails I'm going to share with you sure aren't.  I'll teach you.  It's easy.  You can do this!

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If you don't already know this, tea is amazing.  So much is packed into one tiny leaf...flavor, health benefits and just overall goodness. (Check out some of our other blog posts about Wellness and Tea if you're interested.)  Adding tea to a cocktail or even beer just kicks it up a notch on the creativity scale.

Incorporating tea into a cocktail can come in a variety of forms:
~ Used as a mixer
~ Infused directly into any spirit
~ Made into ice cubes
~ Flavoring a simple syrup

Each week, I'll take you through one of these methods until you are a pro at making tea cocktails.  (I'll even give you our secret and magic ratio to make every tea cocktail perfectly balanced...but not just yet...you'll have to come back later for that...)

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Now I have given myself my fair share of pats on the back for the tea cocktail concoctions I have somehow managed to come up with over the years.  I wanted to start this series with one of my proudest Pat-Myself-On-The-Back moments to date:

THE CHAMOMILE SOUR

Chamomile Sour

We have mentioned this one before in previous blog posts and it's been on our menu for quite some time now.  But there's clearly a reason for it.  It's just so dang good.  I have even had people come to me saying it was the best cocktail they have ever had.  True story.  It has such a great balance of the tartness from the lime and sweetness from the Chamomile Syrup.  It's easy and simple to make with just a few ingredients.

The method of incorporating tea into this cocktail is by making a simple syrup.  Nearly any cocktail needs to have some element of sweet to balance out the alcohol, whether from an added sweetener like a syrup or the sweetness already found in a liqueur.

Making simple syrup using tea is just that...simple.  Sugar, water, tea. That's all you need.  What makes this recipe unique is using our Calming Chamomile, which is a blend of chamomile, lavender and spearmint.  Heavenly and sure to help you relax!

So get your syrup made, ingredients gathered and let's go!

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CHAMOMILE SOUR

Ingredients:
For Chamomile Simple Syrup (enough to make 5 cocktails)
~ 1 cup boiling water
~ 1 cup sugar
~ 6 tbsp Calming Chamomile

For the cocktail
~ 1 oz lime juice (equivalent to the juice of 1 lime)
~ 1.5 oz shot Tequila (our go to at the shop is Mile High Spirits)
~ 1.5 oz Chamomile simple syrup

Garnish
~ Salt rim
~ Lime wedge



Directions:
To make the syrup
~ Carefully combine boiling water and sugar.  Stir until sugar is completely dissolved
~ Add Chamomile and mix until all the chamomile is soaked through
~ Cover and let sit for about 3 hours
~ Strain well (like...really well...)
~ Will keep in the fridge for a week or 2


Cocktail making:
~ Combine lime juice, tequila and syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice (don't have a cocktail shaker?  A jar with a lid will do just fine...)
~ Shake until your heart's content
~ Strain or serve on the rocks in a salt rimmed martini glass (or really any type of glass you have on hand...)
~ Sip and enjoy!

 

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If you want to make this cocktail for yourself at home, click here (or anywhere else on this page which says Chamomile) to order this herbal blend and we'll have it shipped to your home in no time!

Bonus! Take a picture of your own Chamomile Sour at home, comment below or tag us on social media and I'll send you a special offer!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/iN-TEA-60806647997

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/in.tea.littleton/

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Check back next Friday for another installment of this Quaran-TEA-ni Series to learn about the hot toddy and the vital importance of the cocktail garnish.

Until next time...
Stay Home, Drink Tea, and Be Well!

 


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