Hot Bourbon Tea is an excellent take along if you have activities out in the field during the winter months.
Bourbon & Tea = Soothing & Invigorating
Hot Bourbon Tea actually starts out with two types of tea. First, you need to make a tisane with whole cinnamon sticks. The hot cinnamon tea is then used to steep the black tea. The lovely spicy scent of cinnamon is soothing while the black tea is invigorating. This is a great combination if you are trekking deer, scouting for quail or watching for migrating birds. Outdoor sporting life is always better with a hot beverage!
If you have a leftover fancy flavored vodka or rum such as cinnamon flavored vodka, pepper vodka, or spiced rum, feel free to substitute for the whiskey in the Hot Bourbon Tea. Lemon vodka would be absolutely delicious!
The temperature of Hot Bourbon Tea can be tricky as you don’t want to reheat the tea once you add the alcohol, which can evaporate or burn off when too much heat is applied. If you are adding your tea to a Thermos and want to keep it very hot, simply pour the alcohol into your Thermos first. Bring the remaining tea to a boil in the microwave or on the stove, and then add it boiling hot to your thermos. Tighten the lid on your Thermos well to avoid losing any of the heat. Your Hot Bourbon Tea will keep you nice and toasty all afternoon!
Share with your buddies. Or not.
There are all sorts of insulated beverages cups on the market these days that will keep your Hot Bourbon Tea warm. My favorite are the Yeti line of cups and tumblers. I usually have one bouncing around in my truck somewhere. Many stainless-steel water bottles are insulated these days and work well to keep beverages warm. Even a good old Thermos will keep you tea at the right temperature.
You can also opt for adding more honey, or a pinch of other spices such as ground cloves or anise. When you are making your cinnamon tea, you can add whole star anise or whole cloves and strain those out later. Make this hot beverage as comforting as possible, ‘cuz baby it’s cold outside!
BTW if you want to make a single serving Hot Bourbon Tea, here is the quick recipe:
6oz strong tea, heated to boiling (177ml)
1 pinch ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. lemon juice (1ml)
1-2 tsp. honey or to taste (5ml-10ml)
1 shot bourbon whiskey (1.5oz/45ml)
Combine & enjoy!
Hot Bourbon Tea
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
6 cups water (1.5lt)
1–2 whole cinnamon stick
2 large tea bags, or enough black tea to make 2 quarts/2 lt
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
2–3 tbsp. honey or to taste (30ml-45ml)
8 oz. bourbon whiskey (240 ml)
Instructions
Place the water and cinnamon sticks in a 2 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 1 minute. Place the tea in a large glass bowl or glass measuring cup and pour over the boiling cinnamon water. Allow to steep for 3-5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags (or strain out loose tea) and cinnamon sticks. Add more water so tea amount equals 6 cups. Add the lemon juice, honey and bourbon and stir to melt honey. Keep warm in a thermal carafe or insulated water bottle until ready to serve.
Notes: Read package directions on tea to find out what quantity is needed to make 2 qts/2 lt of iced tea. This will be approximately ½ oz or 12-14 grams total.
Also note, avoid reheating tea once you add the bourbon as heat will cause the alcohol to burn off and evaporate
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