Gin & tonic is a classic, but there's a new drink in town and it's gaining popularity surprisingly fast. As it turns out, tea and tonic is match made in heaven. This drink may not have been discovered if there wasn't another weird sounding, incredibly unique, unmatchable at the first thought, but truly compatible and refreshing – espresso tonic.
What is Tea Tonic?
Espresso tonic comes from Sweden, and it's more than unique – while it sounds like a simple blend of tonic and espresso, this drink is all about the right timing and measurements. Lots of ice, VERY cold tonic, and a shot of properly prepared espresso.
Tea tonic is no different. You'll need to make a strong cup of tea, use high-quality leaves, chill your tonic, fill the cup with ice, and then blend them all together.
Which teas are the best for making Tea Tonic?
Theoretically, you can choose any tea you want and simply mix it with tonic. But to get the best result, choose stronger and flavourful high-quality teas, with either slight astringency, grassiness, fruitiness or spiciness. Think of a gin and tonic and you may get the idea. Lighter teas or white teas may be too light, though – their flavour will get lost and they won't bend so nicely. Tea with more intense colour will give a visually more appealing drink too. When done properly, tonic and tea will not blend. Tea will stay on the top even as you sip it.
Top choices:
- Earl Grey black tea – choose stronger flavourful blends. Citrusy Earl Grey is one of the best choices for making this drink.
- Blueberry flavoured blends – sweet blueberries with a smooth and bold black tea are our second favourite choice.
- Raspberry flavoured black tea blends
Which tonic should you use?
What's really important is that the tonic you are using is freshly opened. Opened bottle of tonic may go flat within a few days. Both cheaper and expensive tonic will work and choose a flavour profile you enjoy the most. We would avoid coloured ones, though. Choose the one you enjoy drinking. This recipe uses no sweeteners, so sweeter and flavoured but colourless tonic will be a great choice, too.
Black Tea Tonic
Equipment
- Glass
- Electrict hand frother optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup of ice
- 1 heaped teaspoon of black tea leaves
- 50 ml of water
- 200 ml of tonic
Instructions
- Fill the glass with ice and add tonic.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add 1 heaped teaspoon of tea leaves into a teapot and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. You want a strong concentrated brew, but less concentrated than for making tea ice cubes.
- Strain the tea and use an electric frother to froth it up a bit.
- Pour the tea over chilled tonic.