If you’ve ever added a splash of whiskey to your mug of tea, you know the flavors can pair very nicely. Tea softens whiskey’s bite while whiskey adds warmth and complexity. Inspired by the success of our Earl Grey Goose, we decided to see what a tea  infusion would do to a traditional old-fashioned. We decided to use spicy and robust rye as the base for our Spiced Chai Black Tea infusion. With a strong flavor of its own, the tea needed to steep for only two hours to infuse well.

Instructions

Add 1 tablespoon of loose leaf chai black tea and 8 ounces of rye whiskey to a sealable jar. Let sit for 2 hours, strain the tea and transfer to a bottle before using.

With more time, the subtle tea flavor will enhance, but the spices become unpleasantly strong. With a straight, unflavored tea, try infusing a few hours longer or overnight to start.

Spicy Old Fashioned Recipe

Add a little (or more if you like) simple syrup to an old-fashioned glass with ice.
Add a dash of bitters.
Add 2 ounces of chai-infused rye whiskey
Stir
Garnish with a twist of orange

Hopefully, this recipe inspires experimentation. Scotch, bourbon, rye, and tea share many characteristics  and can enhance one another, whether enjoyed side by side or blended. Mix and match and let us know what works for you!

Or Filthy Caucasian? Call it what you like, this recipe is for coffee fiends who believe that even coffee liqueur would be better with more coffee. This recipe was inspired by our dark roasted White Russian Iced Coffee, one of the best flavors of the summer. A shot of chilled coffee makes for a welcome addition to the classic drink. Try it with White Russian flavor or your favorite coffee brewed strong.

Ingredients

2 oz. vodka
1 oz. coffee liqueur
1/2 oz. fresh-brewed coffee, cooled
1 oz. cream

Instructions

Add the first three ingredients to ice in an a old-fashioned glass. Add the cream (or milk, or the milk-like beverage of your choice) and stir. If you prefer separation between the layers, pour the cream into the glass SLOWLY over the back of a spoon. Impress all your friends.

Hibiscus is a beautiful thing, but a little hard to drink straight up as a tea. Steep the dried flowers and the you get a purply-red infusion that is almost painfully tart. On the lookout for new ways to tame the flavor, we were excited to discover this recipe from Bon Appetit for a sweet, spicy, hibiscus-rose syrup. Try it in cocktails (thousand-flavor gin and tonic anyone?) and over fruit or ice cream.

What you’ll need

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups water

Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 vanilla pod

3 wide strips lemon zest

3 lightly crushed green cardamom pods

1 star anise pod

5 juniper berries

1/4 cup dried rose petals

2 tablespoons dried hibiscus

1 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

For the full instructions, check out the recipe for Fruit Salad with Thousand-Flavor Syrup.

Most of the recipes we try  in our kitchen/laboratory here are a combination of ideas and flavors we love. Flavored almond milk, cold-steeped iced tea, and spiced tea lattes are things that make the world better, and we decided to bring them together to form a super-beverage: almond milk flavored with loose leaf tea, cold-steeped overnight.

We’ve tried this with flavored black and green teas. Our personal favorite for this treat is Earl Grey. Cold-steeped overnight (12 hours), the flavor is perfect. Serve right away, or strain into a second container to store. Enjoy it over ice, or steam it and drink it latte-style.

What you’ll need

Iced tea jug and strainer (we used a 34 oz Mist Iced Tea Jug which has a strainer built in for loose leaf tea)

4 tablespoons loose leaf tea

34 ounces almond milk (unsweetened or sweetened, depending on your preference)

Instructions

Add the almond milk to your jug, followed by the tea, give it a stir and refrigerate, covered, for 12 hours or overnight. Serve immediately or strain and store refrigerated.

Experiment with this recipe! Try it with rice milk, coconut milk, hemp milk — whatever you like. Experiment with honey, agave nectar, or other sweeteners. Let us know what works!