11 Tea-Infused Cocktails For Any Occasion

When cocktail hour rolls around, your first instinct probably isn't to reach for a bag of Earl Grey. Mixing tea and booze, however, is not some trendy new gimmick. It's a tradition that dates back to the Colonial era, when tea was mixed with alcohol and served over ice — a precursor, even, to the ubiquitous non-alcoholic iced tea of today (via NPR). To explore the modern landscape of tea cocktails, Tasting Table sat down with Ryan Polhemus, the bar director of Boston's Offsuit. We discussed where tea-infused cocktails come from, why they work, and where they're going.

"I think there's a general shift in drinkers' palates toward dryer drinks and more complex, adventurous flavors," said Polhemus. "How many times have you heard someone order a drink at a bar and follow it up with 'not too sweet, ok?' Tea presents a perfect solution, and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of it in the future." Whether Polhemus is right in the long run remains to be seen. But in the meantime, try your hand at one of these delicious tea cocktails and see what all the fuss is about.

Polhemus has been making drinks for years and like many bartenders, he's turned to historical sources of inspiration for his next cocktail creation. "Tea features in recipes that predate the Declaration of Independence," he points out, "and it's found its way into modern drinks through both original recipes and re-imagined classics." One of his favorites? The Philadelphia Fish House Punch, an early American invention that came about thanks to some boozy Quakers in Pennsylvania. "It's the granddaddy of tea-infused drinks, and a well-made one will convert even the most skeptical sipper."

According to David Wondrich, author of the historic cocktail book "Punch" and a writer at Liquor.com, Philadelphia Fish House Punch was first invented in 1732 when a group of rich Philadelphians leased some land from the Lenni-Lenape tribe and declared themselves the independent Colony of Schuylkill. It was there that they built their social club — nicknamed the "Fish House" thanks to their primary means of trade — and started the long and rich tradition of fishing, barbecuing, and getting totally sloshed.

The early Fish House punch recipe survived the interceding centuries, and today you can get a taste of history by trying Difford's Guide's version of the drink, which calls for cognac, rum, peach liqueur, sugar, citrus, and — you guessed it — black tea.

Short on mixers? Out of your favorite liqueur? Or maybe you're looking for elegance in simplicity. "One of the best things about infusing tea into a cocktail is how utterly easy it is," says Polhemus. "If you can make a cup of tea and you can shake a cocktail, you've got all the skills you need." A gin and tea can range from something as simple as leaving a teabag to steep in a glass of gin to making pre-steeped tea that's left to cool and then mixed with gin and tonic, gin and lemon, or some combination of the three.

Infusing a botanical spirit like gin with tea allows the often juniper-forward characteristics of the booze to play off secondary and tertiary flavors in the tea. Experiment with Earl Grey, chamomile, lavender, or hibiscus to start. Tonic plays especially well with the latter, as in Thomas Henry's gin and tea recipe.

Some classics are so traditionally immutable it may seem like sacrilege to futz with them. As the old adage goes: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But Polhemus insists that certain stirred cocktails — the Old Fashioned, for instance — are reasonable candidates for some tea experimentation. "I think drinks like the Old Fashioned can benefit from a little bitterness," he says. "A tea-infused simple syrup goes a long way toward preventing a cloying cocktail."

Tea syrups are easy enough to make. It's the same recipe as making regular simple syrup, except instead of using sugar and hot water, you'll use sugar and tea. Brew a cup or pot of tea as normal, add an equal amount of sugar, stir until fully integrated, and voila (via Liquor). 

Try Cocktail Contessa's Earl Grey Old Fashioned recipe if you're looking to jazz up one of the classics — it's simple to make, yet packed with flavor and nuance. A nice pre- or post-dinner party trick the next time you've got whiskey drinkers over.

One of Ryan Polhemus's original inventions, which he serves at the Boston speakeasy cocktail bar Offsuit, is called Trick of the Light. "Not to toot my own horn," he says, "but I make a pretty good tea cocktail at my bar. It pairs green tea and seaweed with gin, sherry, and honeydew in a drink that ends up tasting suspiciously like adult Mountain Dew." This isn't the kind of cocktail you might just happen to whip up at home, but it does provide inspiration for a more accessible at-home cocktail duo: tea and sherry.

You may be thinking: Sherry? That's the stuff that grandparents drink. Heck, you might feel that way about tea, too. But light, salty styles of sherry-like fino or manzanilla are far cries from the cloyingly sweet cheap sherry you might've sniffed as a kid. And the truth is, they're great to drink on their own or use in a cocktail. 

According to Self.com, there's a tea-infused sherry cocktail called the Sanlucar Sipper which was invented by Rick Pitcher, then-beverage director of the now defunct Gander in New York City. The cocktail is almost like an Italian take on a classic punch recipe, with Aperol standing in for the heavier spirits and sherry taking the place of the liqueur. The drink is rounded out with grapefruit, lemon juice, sugar, and black tea.

Traditionally, vodka is one of the best options for liquor infusions. It's normally a neutral spirit, meaning it has no discernible flavor of its own. (Recent trends and changes in the official definition have blurred vodka's adherence to flavor neutrality, but that's a topic for a different day.) The next time you're in the mood for a stiff vodka cocktail, try infusing a bottle of the stuff with green tea by adding several tablespoons to a 750ml bottle and letting sit for a few hours. Strain through a coffee filter into a clean receptacle, and you're ready to rock.

Once you've got your infused spirit, fix yourself a green tea gimlet by pouring equal parts vodka and lime juice over ice, stirring well, and straining it into a chilled glass (via Life Is Better With Tea). If vodka isn't your thing, gin will work just as well. Just make sure not to get something too overly botanical or it'll clash with the green tea's flavors. If you want to dress up your cocktail, try adding a sprig of mint, a wedge of lime, or both!