5 Best Iced Tea Cocktail Recipes

I must confess that I tried to come up with 101 different iced tea cocktail recipes, but the details got kind of blurry after 50- and I can’t even vouch for the last 25 of this list. It’s a fact, though, that we have long used spritz and tea to mellow out a little bit, so it was only a matter of time before iced tea and decent alcohol finally come together to create cocktails- plus there’s the added bonus of health benefits from tea.

The White and Blue Iced Tea Cocktail

This certainly is refreshing and arguably patriotic way to celebrate Independence Day.

Premiere tea sommelier James Labe shares his signature iced tea cocktails, featuring a very special and refreshing ZEN Green Tea Liqueur that was inspired by the growing popularity of tea in the United States.

• 3 cups prepared white tea (chilled)
• 1 1/2 cups Zen Green Tea Liqueur
• 1 1/2 cups raspberry infused vodka

Extra tip: Throw some fresh blueberries into tumblers with ice, pour the White and Blue Iced Tea over it and garnish with mint for extra flavor.

Tropical Tea-se

Darryl Robinson uses an oolong tea recipe for his drink concoctions to create a fruit-infused blended cocktail. Yes, try a Tropical Tea-se by pouring a shot each of coconut vodka and cream of coconut over ice and top off the glass with mango pineapple tea.

Green Tea Sangria

Or why not a thirst-quenching sangria with the healthful benefits green tea provides? Accomplish that by putting ice cubes into wine goblets and filling them 1/3 of the way with sangria, another 1/3 with Chardonnay and topping them off with citrus green tea. Garnish them with lemon, orange, and lime slices for extra flavor- and you’ll never want sangria without tea again.

Extra tip: The oolong tea at the Golden Moon Tea website is a wonderful base for an iced tea mix-drink.

Blueberry Infused Flavored Vodka Lemonade

Motivated by these ingenious mixologists- I put an iced tea twist on a Blueberry Infused Vodka Lemonade. Loving blueberries as I do, I didn’t wait to try this luscious vodka lemonade recipe three different ways, but first here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

I put the cup of fresh blueberries into a pint canning jar and filled it to the top with vodka. Before putting the lid on, I mashed the blueberries, then put the jar into the refrigerator for about 12 hours (I know–tough wait!). When it was time to serve, I tossed the tablespoons of sugar with the frozen blueberries and divided them between two glasses- then put some ice in on top. After straining the blueberries out of the infused vodka, I poured it into the glasses, filling them a third of the way. The original recipe calls for you to top off the glasses with lemonade, but I also tried it with lemonade mixed with sun tea and lemon green tea.

It should be apparent by now that the only limit to creating wonderful iced tea cocktails is your imagination- give it a try. Start off with your favorite drink, add any variety of iced tea, or substitute it for an ingredient and see where it takes you. Get creative and throw in some coconut cream or mango rum and garnish your glass with a pineapple wedge and a paper umbrella. Nothing like having a scrumptious cocktail and enjoying it all the more because of the healthful attributes your favorite tea adds. I just have one request: let me know if you get past 50.

Written by: Justin Greig

A self-proclaimed “21st century hippie,” Justin studied Journalism at Berkeley and freelances for many environmental publications. He has a special interest in conservation, and he and his wife recently added solar panels to their home.

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