5 Fun Tea-Based Mocktails For a Sensational Summer
Tea-based mocktails are a great way to enjoy a refreshing and healthy beverage packed with flavor and antioxidants. Whether you are looking for a refreshing drink on a hot summer day or a comforting warm beverage during the colder months, tea-based mocktails are a perfect choice.
While some enjoy a classic cocktail or two, only some people drink alcohol. And even those who do might not always feel like drinking. If you're curious about tea mocktails or want to learn how to make them, you're in for a treat!
This blog shares five super delicious tea-based mocktail recipes and their garnish instructions. They're all easy to make, filled with flavor, and look so fancy you'd be sure to impress family and friends.
Why Everyone Should Try Tea Mocktails
Before we dive into the recipes, let's explore the benefits of using freshly brewed tea as a base for a cocktail instead of alcohol. Here are five of the top reasons why you should shake up a mocktail (or three!) today:
Reason 1: You can have as many as you like, any time of the day
You can drink mocktails all day long! While having a couple of cocktails for breakfast is probably not a good idea, you can have as many mocktails as you want. You won't lose your inhibitions or get a hangover the next day.
Reason 2: It's healthy!
As long as you don't use high-sugar ingredients like sweetened fruit juice, tea syrup, or simple syrup in your recipe, mocktails can be super healthy. Tea is rich in antioxidants and has numerous health benefits. Drinking this popular beverage regularly can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also boost the immune system, improve brain function, and promote relaxation.
Reason 3: You'll save money
Whether you like rum, vodka, gin, or whiskey, they're all pretty expensive! You can buy delicious and fancy loose-leaf teas for a fraction of the price of a bottle of booze.
Reason 4: Tea can taste like alcohol
Yes, you read that right! If you're looking for a drink that tastes like a real cocktail, regular mocktail recipes may leave you disappointed. A lot of them are filled with sugar and fruity flavors but lack that little flavor kick an alcoholic cocktail gives. In comes tea! The astringent nature of brewed tea makes it taste a little like alcohol.
Reason 5: It's delicious!
What's better than enjoying a tall glass of iced tea on a hot summer day? A batch of tea mocktails shaken up in a cocktail shaker! The beauty of mocktail recipes is that you can adapt them to your taste. Whether you like a zesty lime juice-infused mocktail, or something spicy, there's an amazing mocktail for every taste.
Before you Begin Brewing...
Here are some tips and tricks for your magical mocktail adventures:
Tea leaves are always better than tea bags. You can order premium-quality loose-leaf tea right here. We'll deliver it straight to your door!
Feel free to use herbs and spices to level up these recipes. A crack of black pepper really brings out strawberry and basil flavors, while a couple of muddled mint leaves will make most fruit-infused drinks pop!
Serve your drinks in pretty cocktail glasses, and don't skip the garnish instructions! If it looks like a fancy cocktail, you'll feel like you're drinking a fancy cocktail.
Experiment with a variety of tea blends. Once you get the hang of the different flavors, you'll be formulating your own recipe ideas.
Freeze some freshly brewed tea in ice cube trays instead of water-based ice cubes to add to your drinks. It will prevent your mocktail from diluting as the ice melts!
Bring Out That Chilled Martini Glass - It's Time to Shake It Up!
Here are some of our favorite mocktail recipes for you to try.
#1. Matcha Sour Mocktail Recipe
This booze-free cocktail is exotic and energizing and has a beautiful vibrant green color. It's also super healthy. Just one cup of matcha a day will give you excellent health benefits! Why not make it a matcha mocktail a day?
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of ceremonial grade matcha, brewed and cooled
1/4 cup of ginger beer
1/8 cup of honey syrup
1/8 cup of fresh lime juice
1 egg white* (optional)
Ice cubes
Julienned lime zest and mint leaves as garnish
How to Make Honey Syrup
Bring 1 part honey and 1 part water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer and stir until it is combined. You can store this syrup for up to a month in the refrigerator, and it's a little healthier than processed sugar!
Instructions:
Prepare the matcha green tea by whisking it into hot water.
Mix the matcha, ginger beer, honey syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker until combined.
Add fresh ice cubes and the egg white if you're using it, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Strain the mixture to remove the ice. Return the liquid to the shaker and remix vigorously to emulsify the egg white.
Strain into a tall glass and add ice cubes.
Stir the mocktail one more time before serving to ensure the matcha is mixed well.
Garnish with lime zest and mint leaves, and enjoy!
*Consuming raw eggs can cause food-borne illness.
#2. Minty Hibiscus Tea Mocktail Recipe
This hibiscus mint tea mocktail is a tart and refreshing drink perfect for a hot summer day. Cool down with this delightful caffeine-free drink or quadruple the recipe and invite some friends over!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Hibiscus Rooibos Tea, brewed and cooled
1/4 cup of raspberry or cranberry juice
1/8 cup of tonic water
1/8 cup of lemon juice
1 lime, quartered
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs and hibiscus flowers for garnish
Instructions:
Make a strong brew of your tea using hot water.
Place the lime quarters, mint leaves, and honey or agave syrup in a glass and muddle it with the back of a wooden spoon.
Combine cooled tea, lemon juice, and two ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
Strain the cocktail over the muddled lime, mint, and sweetener into the glass.
Top with the tonic water and stir.
Garnish with mint leaves and hibiscus flowers.
Your drink is ready. Enjoy!
#3. Strawberry and Basil Tea Mocktail Recipe
This mocktail is a refreshing blend of strawberries and aromatic basil infused with a tangy twist of lime. You'll want to double up on this recipe. It's too delicious not to want more!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Shades of Earl Grey tea, brewed and cooled
1/4 cup of strawberry juice
1/2 cup of strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup of basil leaves
1 tbsp of honey or agave syrup
Ice cubes
A squeeze of lime juice
A crack of black pepper
Lime wedges as garnish
Instructions:
Make a strong brew of your tea with hot water.
Place your strawberries and basil leaves in a blender and blend until smooth.
Strain the mixture into a cocktail shaker and add ice cubes.
Add the cooled tea, strawberry juice, and sweetener to the shaker and shake vigorously for around 10 seconds.
Strain into a glass over ice cubes.
Add the lime juice and a crack of black pepper, and give it a quick, gentle stir.
Garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.
Enjoy your fruity and aromatic mocktail!
#4. Apple Cinnamon Chai Mocktail Recipe
If you love chai as we do, this is going to be a winner! This spicy mocktail has all the goodness of apples and cinnamon, with spicy chai flavors like ginger and turmeric. It packs a healthy punch but is also super delicious!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of A Good Root tea blend, brewed and cooled
1/4 cup of apple juice
1/8 cup of lemon juice
1/8 cup of ginger beer
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp of honey or agave nectar
Ice cubes
Cinnamon stick and lemon slice to garnish
Instructions:
Brew your tea with boiling water, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods, steeping it for at least 10 minutes. The longer you brew it, the spicier it will be! Leave it to cool.
Strain the tea into a cocktail shaker, and add ice cubes.
Add the tea to the apple juice, ginger beer, lemon juice, and sweetener.
Shake vigorously for around 10 seconds and strain into a glass over ice cubes.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon.
Enjoy your spicy drink!
#5. Green Tea Lime Juice Mai Tai Mocktail Recipe
Pineapple is one of the top summer flavors, and this fruity green tea mocktail brings it out in full force. After just one sip, you'll feel like you're breathing in a summer breeze and floating away to a faraway island. There is no rum needed for this adventure!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Makes Good Sencha green tea, brewed and cooled
1/4 cup of pineapple juice
1/8 cup of lime juice
1/8 cup of soda water or sparkling water
1 tbsp of honey or agave nectar
Crushed ice
Pineapple wedge and mint leaves for garnish
Instructions:
Make a strong tea brew in boiling water and leave it to cool.
Mix the green tea, pineapple juice, lime juice, and sweetener in a cocktail shaker and add some crushed ice.
Shake it vigorously for around 10 seconds.
Fill a tall glass halfway with crushed ice. Use a little more crushed ice if you want a super cold mocktail.
Strain the mocktail over the crushed ice.
Top with sparkling water, give it a gentle stir, and garnish with a pineapple wedge, some mint leaves
Your Mai Tai is ready. Enjoy!
You're a Cocktail Shaker Away From Yummville
These delicious tea mocktail recipes are just as delicious as classic cocktails but without the buzz of booze and with an added health kick. So, if you prefer bananas over bourbon or raspberries instead of rum, whip up some chilled, alcohol-free tea cocktails. Whether you're enjoying friends over, date night, or unwinding alone, sit back, take a refreshing sip, and relax. Life is sweet.
