Makes about 8 drinks.
Cool with an unexpected zing, this spiced tea was inspired by Indian chai, a blend of tea, milk and ground spices—cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. It has to steep overnight, so plan accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 quart water
- 8 Earl Grey tea bags
- 8 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- 8 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds, crushed
- 2 teaspoons allspice berries, crushed
- ½ to 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Lime wedges, thinly sliced oranges and cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Method
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the tea bags, remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes; discard the tea bags. Reheat the tea and pour it into a heatproof bowl. Add all of the spices, cover and let steep overnight.
- Strain the tea into a medium saucepan. Reheat the tea and stir in the honey; let cool. For each drink, pour the spiced tea over cracked ice. Garnish with a lime wedge, an orange slice and a cinnamon stick and serve.
- MAKE AHEAD–The strained and sweetened spiced tea can be refrigerated for 3 days.
- Variation: Add a shot of Mount Gay rum to each drink.
