Infusing Liquor with Tea: Tea Infused Cocktails

Did you know you can infuse just about any tea with liquor? If you've ever heard of cold brewing your tea or even coffee, then this concept probably makes sense. Cold brewing is an easy way to “set it and forget it” and still get an exceptionally smooth brew. With cold brewing you don't have to worry about over steeping your tea, nor do you even have to heat up the water! The concept is the same when using liquor. Simply add 1.5-2 tbsp of loose-leaf tea to an infuser or tea bag, put it into a mason jar, and pour over 1 cup of clear liquor. Cover with a lid and set into the fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove your tea bag/infuser and you now have a tea infused liquor! If you're using green tea, cut the steeping time down to just 8 hours to avoid it getting bitter.

It's that easy to make your own tea-infused liquor. Now imagine all the different flavored liquors and cocktails you could make… An Earl Grey MarTEAni with Earl Grey infused vodka, a bright and vibrant drink using the purple color of Purple Papayaberry or bright red color of Casablanca, or even a dessert cocktail with Carrot Cake or Salted Caramel Chocolate… or in the case of the recipe below, S'mores! Grab yourself a bottle of your favorite liquor, some mason jars, and a few different teas to experiment with.

There's no limit to the type of liquor you can use, so go with what your heart desires. Many tea infused cocktails call for using vodka or gin, so that can be a great place to start. Here's a few combinations we love:

• Vodka infused with Earl Grey, Carrot Cake or Purple Papayaberry
• Tequila infused with Hibiscus or Casablanca
• Sake infused with Sencha Supreme or Cherry Rose
• Rum infused with SnowFlake or Masala Chai
• Gin infused with Cucumber Melon, Earl Grey or Raspberry Lavender

As with any cocktail, the quality of the alcohol can make a big difference. If you can, it's worth investing in a higher quality liquor. The higher the alcohol percentage, the easier it is for the liquor to extract the flavor from the tea.