Cool autumn and winter evenings are the perfect time to enjoy tea with rum! You can make warming drinks at home with your favorite ingredients, creating aromatic and flavorful infusions. It's worth reaching for them after returning from a long autumn walk, extending the state of blissful relaxation! How to prepare a traditional "spiked" tea, how to warm up Highlander style, and what recipe will allow you to delight in the full flavors of winter?
Warming up with a "kick"
Autumn and winter walks can be very pleasant, especially when it snows! However, after returning home, it's often difficult to get back to normal when your hands, back, or cheeks are frozen. In such a situation, warming teas for autumn with a touch of alcohol, citrus, or aromatic spices will be an excellent idea. They quickly improve mood, restore thermal comfort, and taste wonderful!
The tradition of drinking "spiked" tea, i.e., with alcohol, is said to have been created by highlanders living in very harsh conditions. They used an infusion with sugar and spirit, which reportedly protected them from the effects of spending many hours in strong wind and frost. Today, even in the city, warming teas are perfect in autumn and winter – there are many diverse recipes for them. Easy to make at home, they delight with their taste and aroma.
It's also worth trying other recipes for warming drinks and cocktails – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic! How to quickly prepare an aromatic rum tea and what additions can be found in a winter mulled-wine flavored infusion?
Rum Tea
Warming rum tea is a classic whose recipe you simply must know. It is popular primarily due to its relaxing properties, making it perfect after an evening winter walk. Its very scent soothes and helps forget the stresses of the entire day!
With this and subsequent recipes, it's worth remembering that no more than a shot of alcohol should ever be added to a cup of infusion – this will make all sensations much more pleasant. Tea is best brewed from high-quality loose leaves, not a teabag, according to the instructions on the packaging.
To prepare RUM TEA, you will need:
- 50 ml rum;
- 200 ml freshly brewed black tea;
- 5-10 raisins, previously soaked in rum;
- A tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- A pinch of cinnamon;
- A teaspoon of honey.
Add rum to the hot tea. Stir and cover with a saucer for about 5 minutes. After this time, pour the squeezed lemon juice, honey, and raisins previously soaked in rum into the infusion. Stir again. Before serving, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top of the tea.
Vodka Infusion
When preparing any of the warming teas and not having any flavored liquor on hand, you can confidently substitute it with vodka. A very simple infusion with this alcohol – of high quality, of course – will certainly make you feel a pleasant warmth in your body, putting you in a positive mood. When making a drink from the following recipe, it's worth using homemade raspberry juice prepared in summer, whose sweetness will also bring back pleasant holiday memories.
To prepare a VODKA INFUSION, you will need:
- 30 ml vodka;
- 200 ml freshly brewed black tea;
- 20 ml raspberry juice;
- 2 lemon slices;
- A teaspoon of honey.
Pour 50 ml of vodka into freshly brewed tea. Stir and cover with a saucer. After this time, add raspberry juice, honey, and lemon slices to the drink. Stir, gently squeezing the citrus pieces.
Highlander-style warming
Highlander warming winter tea cannot do without plum brandy (śliwowica). According to folk traditions, this aromatic, summer-scented liquor was created specifically for a "spiked" infusion. It is said to taste best with linden tea – if you don't have it on hand, you can, of course, use regular black tea.
To prepare HIGHLANDER TEA, you will need:
- 25 ml plum brandy (śliwowica);
- 200 ml freshly brewed linden tea;
- 2 lemon slices;
- A teaspoon of honey, preferably linden honey.
Prepare linden tea according to the instructions on the package. Pour in the plum brandy and steep for 5 minutes, covered. After this time, add the lemon slices and a teaspoon of honey. Stir, pressing the citrus to release their juice.
Tea full of flavors
A fantastic suggestion for winter evenings is warming ginger tea with cinnamon and cloves, which tastes like mulled wine or glögg. Its preparation requires a little more attention, but the taste and the aroma filling the air are truly exceptional. Such an infusion will also be perfect for Christmas!
To prepare WINTER TEA a’la MULLED WINE, you will need:
- 50 ml vodka or rum;
- 200 ml water;
- A teaspoon of loose-leaf black tea in an infuser, or a black tea bag;
- A cinnamon stick;
- 2 orange slices;
- 2 star anise;
- 5-6 cloves;
- A slice of ginger;
- A teaspoon of honey.
Pour water into a pot, add cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Place the tea infuser with tea and, without bringing it to a boil again, heat for another 3-5 minutes. After this time, remove the tea leaves and ginger, pour in the rum, and heat without boiling for another 3 minutes. Slice orange into a mug, transfer the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves from the pot, and pour in the tea with rum. After a few minutes, add honey and stir again.