This Over 100-Year-Old Midwest Iced Tea Cocktail Deserves A Revival At Your Next Cookout

Summertime calls for icy cold cocktails. Whether you're hosting a festive cookout or a small family barbecue, drinks are always on the cards, be they non-alcoholic or not. If you're looking for a new contender to add to the mix, there's an old Midwest cocktail that's worth stirring up for your next outdoor bash — especially if you're a fan of iced tea.

Today, a Hong Kong Cooler is known to many of us as a trendy, Asian-inspired drink featuring vodka, lychee, ginger, elderflower, and lime. But a drink of the same name existed in the Midwest in the early 20th century, and it was a totally different cocktail that played off the idea of a spiced, tropical iced tea.

A recipe for a punch named the Hong Kong Cooler that was printed in a local Wisconsin newspaper back in 1915 called for Ceylon tea, Jamaican rum, sugar, lemon, cloves, and maraschino cherries. The mixture was stirred together and poured over shaved ice and topped with candied orange peel, a mint leaf dipped in powdered sugar, and a few tablespoons of pineapple. 

If you leave the fancy garnishes in the early 1900s, the Hong Kong Cooler is actually a pretty easy drink to batch up. Plus, it's delicious, refreshing, and sure to start a conversation.

Ceylon tea is a term used to describe any tea grown in Sri Lanka, which is perhaps the country's most famous export as well as the most natural base for this drink. The delicate, fresh-tasting tea is much more balanced than in other parts of the world, and it has a light citrus scent and natural tannins that lend well to cocktails.

If you can't find Ceylon tea, any black tea works. It's not known why exactly this drink was called the Hong Kong Cooler, but Ceylon tea was often used as a replacement for more expensive teas from China at the time, which might have something to do with it. Traditional Chinese tea is much more accessible today, so pick your poison. Just make sure to steep it in advance. 

Once the tea is steeped, add a few spoons of sugar, lemon slices, a couple of cloves, and the maraschino cherries. Let it cool before pouring, adding the rum as a floater. Darker rums tend to pair well with tea. You can also sweeten the drink with more sugar or pineapple. The candied orange peels will help too if you choose to use them. The powdered sugar mint leaf might be a little much, but if you're trying to impress, go for it. Cookouts are all about having fun.