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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Fill a jug about a quarter or half of the way through with ice cubes.
- 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)
- Let the tea cool for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the vodka and lemon juice into the spiced tea base. Once stirred, garnish the drink with mint leaves.
- At this point, you can taste the drink and decide if you want to dilute it or cool it further.
- Once completely cooled, your Hard Iced Chai is ready to be enjoyed!