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We spill the tea on this fresh and fruity tequila number.
About the cocktail
It’s tea time, but maybe not the way your gran likes it. Or maybe it is? Go off, Nan! Nix the doilies and ornate “don’t touch that!” tea sets – we're talking Iced Tea-quila time – perfect for lazy, sunny afternoons or balmy sunset dinner parties, al fresco ofc. Think beautifully bitter, cold English breakfast tea, blanco tequila, apricot brandy or liqueur, all kissed with a dash of zippy lemon and grapefruit. Pop in some fresh berries and add a grapefruit wheel to the rim to garnish, and voila! It’s basically high summer in a highball. Who dreamed up this dreamy drink? Its exact origins – like the appearance of iced tea itself – are a tad blurry. But the kudos, or at the very least some of the inspiration, goes to Mark Cooke and the team of North Bar in Leeds, England, who created the OG Mexican iced tea sweetened with honey vodka, and finished with a lick of Angostura Orange Bitters. Cousin to the original Long Island Iced Tea and sibling to the Bourbon Peach Tea, one thing is for certain, the Iced Tea-quila is in good company. Featuring a malty, floral and almost smoky note from the tea, the fragrant, complex and flavourful balance is what this iced tea cocktail is all about. The tequila lends a crunchy agave flavour alongside the sweet apricot balancing the bitterness of the chilled tea, while the lemon juice and bubbly grapefruit soda add depth and zing. Fruity, tangy and refreshing, the lip-smacking boozy iced tea flavours are definitely less Downton Abbey tea parties and lean more towards that of a certain loopy Hatter. In the best way, of course. Who doesn’t love a devilishly good tea party?
Watch: How to make an Iced Tea-quila
Ingredients
45mL blanco tequila 15mL apricot brandy or liqueur 45mL cold English breakfast tea 15mL fresh lemon juice 45mL grapefruit soda Glass: highball Garnish: seasonal berries and grapefruit wheel
Method
Fill the glass with plenty of cubed ice Build ingredients in the glass and stir until well mixed Garnish with berries and grapefruit wheel
Dan’s top tips
For the base, we suggest a blanco tequila for its bright, green, earthy flavours, but feel free to mix and match your choice of tequilas as you see fit. Don’t have apricot brandy or liqueur on hand? Feel free to swap it out for a sugar syrup for that touch of sweetness. Or why not try a splash of guava nectar for a sweet, tart touch. Palomas, in the words of Zoolander, are “so hot right now”, so we think grapefruit soda trumps lemonade here, but after you’ve mastered this recipe, feel free to change things up as the mood strikes. You can even riff on the tried-and-true Tequila Mexican Iced Tea and add some Angostura Orange Bitters for a tangier take. A great cocktail if you want to flex your bartending brawn when friends drop by, the Iced Tea-quila is also ideal for larger group gatherings. You can easily pre-make a batch to serve in a pitcher or even a classic punch bowl for that nostalgic retro feel.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Raye Scerri (videography), Bridget Wald (styling), LSS (production)
