Keep the Cold at Bay With These Warm Winter Tea Drinks
January is Hot Tea Month and, while there's nothing wrong with drinking a hot cup of tea as it is, add to your tea experience with these winter warming tea drinks.
Simple Teas
Keeping warm can be as simple as making a nice hot cup of tea. Choose your favorite black, green, oolong, or herbal teas, or tisanes. Add your preferred modifiers to make a delicious drink.
Sweeteners
- sugar
- sugar substitute
- honey
- maple syrup
- flavored syrups
Lighteners
- cream
- half and half
- milk
- non-dairy creamer
- soy milk
- oat milk
- almond milk
- rice milk
- coconut milk
- hemp milk
- evaporated milk
- sweetened condensed milk
Other Modified
- cinnamon
- lemon
- orange
- ginger
- mint
Add any of these modifiers or a combination of them to your favorite teas for an easy and tasty hot drink.
Cocktails
Yes! Tea can be used as a base for a delicious cocktail.
The most well-known hot tea cocktail is the Hot Toddy. A fairly easy to make drink, this is the perfect choice for a cold day, especially when you're feeling under the weather. Simply add a tablespoon of honey, 1 1/2 ounces of whisky (brandy or rum), and a tablespoon of lemon juice to your favorite black tea. Garnish with a lemon wedge or cinnamon stick for more flavor. For even more flavor, use masala chai in place of the black tea.
For an Ecuadorian hot tea drink, add 2 tablespoons sugar, a stick of cinnamon a tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 ounces passion fruit pulp, and an ounce of Aguardiente or another anise flavored spirit to your black tea. Usually enjoyed around the holidays, this cocktail is great for keeping warm all winter long.
If you want to get creative and mix your own tea cocktails, the spirits that mix the best with tea are whisky, bourbon, rum, and gin. For fruity herbal teas and tisanes, try vodka. You can even make iced or chilled cocktails during the chillier months if you prefer.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
You don't have to add alcohol to a drink to make something delicious. Even the Hot Toddy can be made without whisky. Try the Fine Wolf made with Masala Chai, 2 cups apple cider, a teaspoon of agave nectar, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add the nectar and lemon juice to your mug. Heat the apple cider to a near boil and add to the mug. Steep the Masala Chai with a tea ball infuser in the cider for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the tea ball infuser and enjoy.
Having trouble falling asleep? Try this chamomile and apple cider drink. Add a cup of apple cider, a half cup of water, a cinnamon stick, and 4-5 cloves to a pot and bring just to a boil. Pour the hot liquid into a mug. Add Chamomile tea to a tea ball infuser and steep in the hot cider mixture for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the infuser and garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick.
Immune Booster
With winter being host to a number of maladies, another simple tea drink idea to boost your resistance is to add an immune booster like our new Monin Immunity Boost syrup to your tea. This would be an iced drink which you could make with any of our teas.
Which of these teas are you going to try? Let us know what creative winter tea drinks you come up with!