Freshly Squeezed
Getting Tipsy with Tea
Traditional Tea takers rely on Milk, Honey or Lemon to complement their cup. But many of the happiest Tea drinkers you’ll come across today are opting to enjoy their teatime with Gin, Vodka, Tequila or Rye instead.
Tea cocktails give new meaning to the phrase “high tea.”
One of the people leading this trend is Jennie Ripps. Along with her partner, Maria Littlefield, she founded Owl’s Brew, a line of fresh-brewed Tea, Herbs, Spices & Fruit mixers crafted especially to pair with spirits. All you do is mix 2 parts brew to 1 part booze.
Get tipsy on Tea. And still get the major antioxidant perks. Credit: Wise Cocktails by Jennie Ripps.
What you end up with are elixirs where the flavor of the liquor is enhanced with botanicals, rather than masked with Sugar & artificial ingredients. “The calorie count is much lower & you’re also giving your body something that’s healthier than your traditional mixer,”
Jennie says. “Tea is loaded with good-for-you antioxidants & nutrients.”
Tea cocktails give new meaning to the phrase high tea.
Ripps is hardly the first to discover the pleasures of getting tipsy on Tea. For almost as long as people have been drinking it, they’ve been knocking back spiked versions. In researching Wise Cocktails, her book of recipes, Jennie came across Tea & booze punches & similar style toddies that date back to the 1700s.
If you want to try a new take on teatime: steep a pot of strong Tea, let it chill & mix with your sprit of choice. Then garnish with whatever you have around the house—think fresh Berries & Mint—for a super snap-worthy sip.
Owl’s Brew founders Maria Littlefield & Jennie Ripps have a new (boozy!) take on tea time. Credit: Foxes & Wolves and Nicole Frazen.
Or save yourself the work and check out one of the Owl’s Brew cocktail mixes. There are 5 in all: The Classic (English Breakfast Tea with Lemon & Lime); Coco-Lada (Black Tea, Coconut, Chai Spices, Pineapple Juice & Agave); Pink & Black (Darjeeling, Hibiscus, Lemon Peel, Strawberry & Agave); Wicked Green (Green Tea, Lemon, Lime & Habanero) and White & Vine (White Tea, Pomegranate, Lemon Peel & Watermelon).
Simply steep a pot of strong tea, let it chill & mix with your spirit of choice.
Want to go full-on mixologist? Sip on two of the tasty Tea cocktails below! The Silent Owl was concocted by Jennie just for Origins while the Rooibos-based Count On Me goes nicely with Origins new Feeling Rosy Powder Face Mask or Cleansing Body Mask which includes similarly soothing & sensorial ingredients.
The Silent Owl
2 oz. Owl’s Brew Wicked Green
2 oz. Mezcal
1/4 oz. Lime Juice
1 dash Bitters
Ginger Beer
Combine Wicked Green, Mezcal & Lime Juice in a shaker with ice. Shake & pour over fresh ice. Top with Ginger Beer & 1 dash Bitters. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Count On Me
TEA BASE
1 teaspoon Rooibos
1/4 teaspoon Rose Petals
Mix together in equal parts to equal 1 teaspoon:
Dried Raspberries
Dried Blueberries
Dried Strawberries
COCKTAIL
4 1/2 oz. Brewed Tea Base
1 1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 tablespoon Agave Nectar
1/2 oz. Rose Simple Syrup
Place 6 oz. of room temperature water in a cup. You will only use 4 1/2 oz. of the tea, so don’t worry if there is extra left over. Feel free to sip, save or discard!
In a tea linen or tea ball, combine all the ingredients for the tea base. Brew in room temperature water for 10 minutes, agitating from time to time. Remove.
In a shaker, combine 4 1/2 oz. of tea base, the Vodka, Agave Nectar & Rose Syrup. Shake without ice until syrup dissolves. Add ice to the shaker & gently swirl to chill. Pour into a glass over ice. Garnish with fresh Raspberries.
Reprinted from Wise Cocktails by Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield. Copyright (c) 2015 by Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield. By permission of Rodale Books. Available wherever books are sold.