10-Minute Hard Iced Chai Recipe

Hard iced tea beverages have been all the rage this summer. Twisted Tea, Texas Tea, Dunkin' Donuts' newest Spiked Iced Tea - you name it. These have become a go-to set of refreshers to enjoy throughout the day. Since these Hard Iced Teas are usually based on a concentrated black tea brew, we decided to take the drink a step further with a Spiced black tea (or masala chai) base. The spices will elevate the drink, with each sip packing more of a punch than before!

If you've got the spirit(s), then you can whip up this delicious, chai-inspired summer cooler at home in just a few minutes. Below, we're sharing a 10-minute Hard Iced Chai recipe, partially inspired by celebrity chef Katie Lee Biegel's Twisted tea recipe.

What You'll Need:

• Sugar or Honey, to taste
• 6 Cups of Water
• 3 ChaiBag Saffron Masala Teabags or 2 Tablespoons Loose leaf Blend
• 2-3 Mint leaves
• 250 ml Peach Vodka (or 1:1 Plain Vodka with any chilled fruit juice, or Citroen Vodka)
• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Steps:

1. Begin by heating the water in a pan or in a kettle. Once the water is boiling, switch off the heat (or kettle) and add in the tea-bags or loose leaf blend. Let the tea steep for about 5 minutes, or tea is sufficiently concentrated.
2. While the masala chai is still hot, add in the sugar - we recommend about 4-5 tablespoons. Stir vigorously until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Fill a jug about a quarter or half of the way through with ice cubes.
4. If you're using a loose leaf blend, strain the tea leaves and spices from the water into the new ice-filled jug. If you're using teabags, simply remove the three teabags from the brew and pour the tea over the ice in the jug. (If you don’t have a pre-made masala chai blend and want to make a masala chai base from scratch, please have a look at our recipe here)
5. Let the tea cool for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the vodka and lemon juice into the spiced tea base. Once stirred, garnish the drink with mint leaves.
7. At this point, you can taste the drink and decide if you want to dilute it or cool it further.
8. Once completely cooled, your Hard Iced Chai is ready to be enjoyed!