Recipe: Green Tea Cocktails
Lemon Ginger Cooler
The last month of summer and finally the hot weather has arrived. Today is a stinking 36 degrees in Melbourne. Lovely if you’re on the beach or a camel. But last time I checked I didn’t have two humps and it’s only Wednesday.
Time for a nice cool drink!
I love quality loose-leaf tea – warming in winter and lovely chilled in summer. If you’ve been following, you’ll know that I also enjoy making iced tea cocktails. The non-alcoholic kind are pre-made in my fridge in mason jars with fresh fruit combos for maximum easy to grab and go flavour and refreshment.
I stumbled across a brand of tea called NUDITEA recently and I’m a bit of a fan now, especially the FOCUS blend.
NUDITEA FOCUS is a Japanese sencha green tea with a sprinkling of passionfruit flowers and marigolds. The blend also has pineapple, sunflower blossoms, chamomile flowers, mallow flowers, rose petals and calendula. As soon as you open the bag you smell the lovely sweet floral fragrance.
I thought it would make superb green tea cocktails for hump day happy hour. Once I got started I got carried away and ended up making three refreshing green tea cocktails, perfect for this hot summer evening. With three lovely new cocktails, there was only one thing to do – ring some friends and get them over for summer cocktails and a BBQ.
Hump Day Happy Hour!
Notes
- Prepare a pot of tea using 1 tsp of tealeaf to 1 cup of boiling water. Steep for 5-10 mins. Cool to room temperature and transfer to fridge to chill til ready for use.
- I used mason jars, but any short glass will do the trick.
Lemon Ginger Cooler
Ingredients
- 100 ml NUDITEA FOCUS Sencha green tea
- 30 ml vodka
- 15 ml limoncello
- 1 slice fresh lemon
- 1 slice fresh ginger, peeled
- Ice
- Garnish: lengthways slice of ginger, lemon wheel & 2 pineapple fronds
Method
Add vodka, limoncello, slice of lemon, slice of ginger and iced tea to jar, stir with cocktail spoon. Top with ice. Garnish.
Sencha G&Tea
Ingredients
- 100 ml NUDITEA FOCUS Sencha green tea
- 30 ml Gin
- 1” fresh cucumber, peeled & diced
- 1 slice fresh lemon, halved
- ½ tsp agave syrup
- Crushed ice
- Tonic water
- Garnish: Slice of cucumber, sliced lengthways & ½ slice lemon
Method
Add cucumber and slice of lemon to jar, muddle. Add gin, iced tea, agave syrup and ice, stir with cocktail spoon. Garnish. Top with ice and a splash of tonic.
Heat Sencha Crazy
Ingredients
- 50 ml NUDITEA FOCUS Sencha green tea
- 30 ml bourbon
- 2 fresh lime wedges
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp ginger syrup
- Ice
- Soda water
- Garnish: sprig of mint & a lime wheel
Method
Add lime and mint to jar, muddle. Add bourbon and ginger syrup, stir. Top with ice. Garnish. Top with splash of soda.
Cheers!
NUDITEA FOCUS is available through their online store.
