Spiced Chai Cooler mocktail recipe
Strong chilled chai, lemon and soda with measured cardamom and ginger warmth.
Method: Build · Glass: Collins glass · Time: 10 minutes plus chilling · Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 3 oz strong chilled chai tea
- ½ oz lemon juice
- ½ oz demerara syrup
- 2½ oz chilled club soda
- to fill cracked ice
How to make it
- Brew chai a little stronger than you would drink hot, then chill it completely.
- Fill a Collins glass with cracked ice and add chai, lemon and syrup.
- Top with club soda and lift once.
- Express the orange peel and serve.
Garnish
One orange peel
Why this balance works
Chai blends vary, so taste the chilled tea before adding syrup. It should taste a little firm and spiced on its own because lemon, ice and soda will soften it. Use a blend with cardamom, ginger and cinnamon; powdered spice mixes can leave grit.
Technique to keep
Chill the tea before building the drink. Hot or merely warm chai melts ice so quickly that the finished cooler becomes thin and flat. Cracked ice is useful here because it chills the tea fast, but soda still goes in last.
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