Chai Tea Recipe with Bourbon (Spiked Chai) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Is bourbon good in chai tea? ›

The rich, spicy warmth of chai is a perfect drink for a cold winter's day — and it's made even more warming with the addition of a bourbon like Maker's Mark, whose notes of clove, vanilla, and caramel marry perfectly with the ingredients in the chai.

Spiced rum and a drop of orange liqueur compliment all of those cozy, fall flavors in the spiced tea and help to take the edge off just a bit.

We also love using nut milks to create interesting flavor profiles, like chai tea lattes with almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk. Lastly, sweeten up your cuppa with honey or sugar, and sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg on top for a finishing touch.

Chai Tea vs Chai Latte – The difference

Chai tea is a loose-leaf style tea brewed in hot milk, usually with some honey or sugar to sweeten it up. While Chai lattes are often made with either a soluble powder or a syrup imitating a chai flavor. Chai latte is a lot sweeter than chai tea.

For the Pu-erh Infused Bourbon: Combine tea and bourbon in a jar and cover the jar. Let steep at room temperature for 2 hours. Strain tea leaves and discard. Store infused bourbon in a sealed jar.

Black tea infused with warm clove, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger notes. A bold, distinctive chai tea.

Traditional chai is not served straight but is actually topped with milk and sweetener. You can drink chai without the sweetener if you wish, but the sweetener brings out the flavor of the spices in a way that warms you all the way down to your toes.

Spice your chai with whole green cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, and black peppercorns. Add your sweetener to the warm tea base after steeping but before straining.

The classic Hot Toddy recipe is the simplest way to incorporate alcohol into your favorite tea in a tasteful manner. Pour your preferred spirit—rum, gin, whiskey, or vodka—into a mug with a touch of honey and a spritz of lemon, then top with tea instead of hot water.

The proper tea-to-water ratio is crucial for a well-balanced flavor without excessive bitterness. According to general guidelines, 3 grams of loose-leaf tea should be used per 8 ounces of water. Using too much tea can result in an imbalanced taste with excessive bitterness due to the over-extraction of tannins.

Why does chai make my mouth feel weird? ›

Tannins In Tea

Another reason that tea could be liable for making your mouth try is due to its tannin content. Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found in tea leaves. They are responsible for the bitter taste and astringency that can be found in tea.

You must use black tea which has the strength to hold its own with the spices--green tea won't do. Also, interestingly, chai must be sweetened to bring out the flavor of the spices - chai is not very good unless it is sweetened.

Chai tea contains spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, which may help to promote healthy digestion and reduce bloating. These spices are also known to alleviate nausea and soothe stomach discomfort.

You can mostly thank chai powder mixes for this sugar spike. They're crammed with sugar, so that a single small "chai latte" may contain 20 grams or four teaspoons of sugar. Add in extra syrups famous in some coffee stores and you can see how you might get yourself into a sweet mess.

Most cafes that offer chai lattes don't actually brew the tea themselves, they make them by adding powdered tea to steamed milk. There's nothing wrong with this method.

Whisky Tea Highball

This one's a no brainer. Satisfyingly simple, you can whip up a batch in minutes that'll keep you happy all night long. Stir a shot of your preferred black tea with whisky and sugar syrup, pouring into an ice-filled glass. Top up with cold soda water and garnish with orange peel *chefs kiss*.

You can't have a good cup of bourbon coffee without, well, the bourbon! And we don't just dump a bunch of our beans into a bottle of bottom-shelf liquor. We love bourbon coffee because of its complexity. The perfect glass of bourbon is packed with subtle notes and flavors.

Rum and whiskey are popular flavor pairings, thanks to their complementary oak and vanilla flavors, and chai has made an impressive mark on the tiki scene. Click here to learn more about chai, then bookmark these co*cktail recipes to begin your own mixing adventures.

I like adding some extra flavor to my iced chai tea myself. It goes particularly well with citrus (orange, lemon, mandarin), mango, apple, coconut syrup or green tea. Make a big pitcher, add plenty of ice, and garnish with some mint leaves, lemon slices or cinnamon sticks.