I do love a good cocktail, especially at the height of summer. In winter, Iβm more of a wine girl but once we have a bit of sunshine and warmth, Iβm rather partial to heading over to my bar cart and mixing up a batch of whatever takes my fancy. I also have always loved iced tea. Itβs gloriously refreshing and while itβs not as popular here in the UK as it is in the US, I thought Iβd try to bridge that gap today by appealing to the Britβs love of alcohol. Oh yes, today Iβm sharing three ice tea-based cocktails.
I wanted to team up today with two really fabulous brands that I love. When I had the idea for this post, I went straight to one of my favourite brands of herbal teas, Newby Teas. They have so many gorgeous flavours and Iβm genuinely impressed with the quality of their teas and tisanes.
There is no chalky or powdery after taste that you sometimes get with teas and the flavours are amazing. I think with any cocktail, the quality of your ingredients counts for a lot so using low-quality tea for these is going to affect the quality of the finished result. I genuinely adore Newby β they have a huge variety of flavours and I knew theyβd make an excellent base for my cocktail ideas.
The second brand whoβs helping me out for todayβs post is Amara. They have an amazing assortment of home accessories on their website and I knew for this post, their glassware would be the perfect fit for the three cocktails I was making today.
I chose the LSA Gin Cocktail Set which gives you the perfect combination of glasses β 2 Highball Glasses, 2 Cocktail Glasses and 2 Balloon Glasses along with a beautiful pitcher and glass mixer β all in one set. So if you are looking to doll up your barware, itβs a great set to get you started.
I particularly love the chunky bases on all the stemmed glasses and how the pitcher reminds me of a science beaker! Itβs a stunning set and Amara has so many gorgeous items in their glassware collection, perfect for showing off on a bar cart. So shall we get started? Remember, youβll want to make your teas and tisanes ahead of time to give them enough time to cool!
This post contains some affiliate links indicated by an asterisk (*). You donβt pay any more when you click on those links but I may earn a few pennies towards more pretty glassware and tea β win win!
Raspberry Tea Russian
Oh, how I love Chambord. The raspberry flavour liquor is delightfully sweet but when combined with the strong sweet and sour berry flavours of Newby Summer Fruit Tisane and a bit of vodka, the resulting concoction is delightfully summery.
Ingredients (Makes 2)
- Approx 2 cups (400ml) Newby Summer Berries Fruit Tisane (I used 3 tea bags)
- 1 shot (25ml) Chambord* per glass
- 1 shot (25ml) Vodka* per glass
- Blackberries & raspberries to garnish
- 2 balloon goblets
- ice
Method
Steep 2 tea bags in approximately 400ml of just boiled water for 5 minutes and let cool completely. Fill goblets with ice and add 1 shot of Chambord and vodka to each glass. Top up with Newby Summer Berries Fruit Tisane and garnish with additional berries.
This is very refreshing and the taste of the berry tisane really comes through. Itβs more of an iced tea in that it isnβt overly sweet although if you wanted something sweeter, you could try adding one tsp of sugar syrup. I feel like this one is really the perfect summer drink β the Chambord adds just a touch of sweetness and masks the strong vodka. Itβs ridiculously easy to drink (which could be dangerous really).
Ginger Smash
This has a crazy amount of different flavours which all come together in a delicious cacophony! The addition of the egg white makes you feel like a proper bartender and adds a lovely fluffy top. I dare you to drink just one.
Ingredients (Makes 2)
- 1 strong cup (about 200ml) of Newby Ginger & Lemon Tisane (I used 2 tea bags)
- 2 shots (50ml) Edinburgh Gin Elderberry Rhubarb & Ginger liqueur*
- 2 shots (50ml) Aperol*
- Juice of 1 Lemon plus additional lemon to garnish
- 2 (50ml) shots Sugar syrup*
- Dash of Aromatic Bitters*
- 1 egg white
- 2 cocktail glasses
- 1 ice cube
Method
Steep 2 tea bags in 1 cup of just boiled water for 5 minutes and let cool completely. In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients plus one ice cube and shake well. Pour into cocktail glass, garnish with lemon slice and serve.
This one is absolutely gorgeous and my favourite of the lot. I actually just experimented with this one and Iβm so glad I took a chance because oh my god. Yum. If you like sweet cocktails that actually taste wonderful and are the prettiest shade of peach, youβre going to like this one. Itβs such a wonderful medley of flavours and the ginger & lemon tea really does come through, sassed up with hints of others. It sounds like a crazy combination but I promise, it really is utterly delicious. Iβll be making these again for sure.
Mint Green Tea Mojito
Who doesnβt like a mojito? No one, thatβs who. This classic rum drink gets a total upgrade, however, with the inclusion of a delightfully minty green tea as the base. This was Wayneβs favourite!
Ingredients (Makes 3)
- 2 cups (about 400ml) Newby Moroccan Mint Green Tea chilled (I used 4 tea bags)
- 4 shots (100ml) of Plantation Dark rum
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 shots (50ml) of Sugar syrup*
- 1 large bunch of Mint leaves (about 40g)
- 2 Highball Glasses
- Ice
Method
Steep 4 tea bags in approximately 400ml of just boiled water for 5 minutes and let cool completely.
Setting aside a few stems of mint for garnish, tear the remaining mint leaves and pat in your palms. The clapping motion will release the oils. Place the mint leaves at the bottom of the pitcher and squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top. Cut the other lime up, squeezing some, leaving others in tact on top of the mint leaves. Using a muddler, press down on the mint and limes to release all the juices and oils.
Now pour 4 shots of dark rum into the pitcher followed by 2 shots of sugar syrup. Fill part way with ice and top with chilled mint tea. Use the muddler, pulling the mint leaves and limes from the bottom and mix everything well.
Top 2 highball glasses with ice and pour Mojito mixture into glasses. Garnish liberally with a few stems of mint leaves.
This really is the perfect blend of summer iced tea with the minty freshness of a mojito. Itβs not overly sweet but you can adjust the sweetness with less or more sugar syrup.
So those are my three tea-based cocktails! Are you much of a cocktail maker yourself? Whatβs your signature drink? Iβd love to know which of these sounds like something youβd enjoy so do let me know what you think in the comments.
Disclaimer: I teamed up with both Amara and Newby Teas for this post, both of whom I approached personally to sponsor this post. I love both of these brands and only work with companies I really love and think youβll like too! Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support Swoon Worthy.
Oh those look so delicious, Kimberly. I could defo go for one of those right about now! Where did you get those little gold fruit picks in the Raspberry Tea Russian cocktail? They are so pretty. And apologies if you did actually mention it in your post but I couldnβt find it. I am recovering from a cold so my brain is somewhere over in the corner right now. xx
They look amazing! Bloggerparty at yours!
Oh wow, oh wow!! All three look amazing although I do lean towards anything with ginger in it :) Gorgeous photos, too. I always seem to have a random bike or football in the back of mine if I dare to take any in the garden. And you make the North West look positively sunny and glorious :)
Omg, thatβs proper lush! They look absolutely gorgeous, perfect for a summer garden party! Xx
This has made me so thirsty! Love Lsa. Beautiful photography as always.
Wow, these look and sound lovely! When I first started reading this, I assumed they would be non-alcoholic cocktails, so it was a nice surprise to discover they werenβt.
Iβll have to try these π X
Oh, these all sound AMAZING Kimberly, although I think my first order will be for the mint green tea mojito. When do you start serving? I donβt recall an invite in the post just yet.. ;) xx
These look so nice, and I would have never thought of creating those drinks from them. Fantastic post! Makes me want to go and sit in the garden with a cold drink!
Oh wow, they look absolutely delicious! Beautiful photography too. I hope youβre having a great week. xx
Wow, this post has got my mouth watering! They all sound so good! The styling and photography for this post is absolutely fantastic!! Honestly, itβs perfect. I will have to try some of theseβ¦ mmmm! xx
Oh wow, these all look yummy! Iβd never thought of making cocktails with tea, what a great idea! That glassware from LSA is lovely! Now all we need is more sunshine please!
Well the sun is shining (yes I know itβs early just thinking ahead) AND Iβve finally got a day off so I may just have to try one or two of these. Cheers Kimberly xxx
Oooh these sound amazing, will definitely give them a try! xx
If only the sun would shine, I really fancy a cocktail right now! Lovely imagery and inspiration as always Kimberly.