Tea is the perfect mocktail base. I mean, what is better than a fun tipple without the dreaded hangover? You can easily achieve tasty, complex flavors by brewing or infusing a tea blend with fruits and juices that will complement each other.

Read on to learn how to jazz up a simple brew with:

• A simple homemade tea syrup that you can adapt into pretty much any mocktail
• A Green Tea Tropical Mint Cooler to keep you chilled out on those hot afternoons
• An Iced Coconut and Mango Ginger Chai blend that will send you to a tropical island heaven
• A Rooibos Rose Kiss for a sweet summery treat!

These tea mocktail recipes are great all year round; however, I have gone for spring/summer flavor combinations to inject some much-needed sunshine into our lives!

How to Make a Homemade Tea Syrup

Firstly, let us look at how to make a simple sugar syrup with tea. It's not hard to do, but they take time to cool down, so it's best to make them in advance.

1. You need one cup of hot water – infuse this with your chosen tea blend for 5 minutes, then strain or remove the tea (use double the normal amount of tea to achieve a stronger flavor)
2. Put the brewed tea in a small pot to heat up on your stove, then add one cup of granulated sugar (or a sugar alternative such as honey, agave, or a natural sweetener)
3. Simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved
4. Cool for an hour to thicken, and then pop it in the fridge

Now, let's find out what delicious creations you can make with that simple syrup!

1. Tropical Mint Cooler with Matcha Alternatives’ Dusky Mango Green Tea

Tea profile

This little tropical number contains dried pineapple, gorgeous violet mallow flowers, and green tea leaves. It's a refreshing, fruity taste sensation with notes of mango. A perfect mocktail recipe for summer!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 cups of brewed tea using Matcha Alternatives’ Dusky Mango Green Tea (requires 4 tsp of the loose leaf blend)
• 2 limes
• A handful of mint leaves
• 1.69 fl. oz (50ml) of simple syrup infused with the same green tea (see recipe above)
• ½ Thai chili - finely chopped (optional, as it’s very spicy!)
• Club soda (optional)
• Crushed ice

Method

With a tea mocktail, you don't want to drown the taste of the tea. Green teas are delicate, although this blend has a punchy mango taste that combines well with lime, mint, and a hint of chili.

1. Prepare your simple syrup in advance (see above). For the best results, make this syrup with sugar, but you can use an alternative or natural sweetener.
2. Then cut the limes into quarters and brew your tea (double strength).
3. Squeeze the lime pieces into a jug or pitcher and drop them in. Add your simple syrup, finely chopped chili (optional), and some crushed ice. Muddle this with a long spoon - the back end of a wooden spoon works too! This will combine the flavors nicely.
4. Now add the brewed tea (it should have cooled down by now). Remember to strain and remove the tea leaves first.
5. Now add the mint! The best technique is to slap the mint on your hand a few times before tearing off the individual leaves to release the aroma. Gently muddle this all together.
6. Finally, add more crushed ice and use the spoon to bring up the limes from the bottom and make sure it's equally spread up and down the pitcher or jug. You can add some club soda on top to add a little sparkle or a little more crushed ice.

A pitcher should serve 4 - just add a little crushed ice to each glass, muddle, and top with a lime piece. You could also easily make individual versions and build up the ingredients in a tall glass.

Want to add some alcohol to the mix? This would be perfect with white or golden rum!

2. Iced Coconut and Mango with Matcha Alternatives’ Roasted Ginger Chai Yerba Mate

Tea profile

A caffeine-rich tea made from roasted mate and black tea mixed with ginger, cardamom, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. An Indian spiced blend that warms the cockles!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 cup of brewed tea using Matcha Alternatives’ Roasted Ginger Chai Yerba Mate (requires 2-3 tsp of the loose leaf blend)
• 140g frozen mango
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1 tbsp honey or natural sweetener
• Ice
• A hand blender or juice blender

Method

This tea has a much stronger character that comes through both on the nose and the palette with all those gorgeous Indian spices. The spices pair well with tropical fruits, so mango or pineapple is a perfect match. As for lime and coconut? I think there's a song for this pairing…

1. Firstly, brew your tea, strain it, and let it cool down. This is a frozen drink, so you want everything chilled. A double-strength tea will bring those flavors to the fore!
2. Into the blender, add lime juice, coconut milk, tea, frozen mango, and honey to sweeten. Blend and watch out for any pesky mango chunks. The consistency should be thick but pourable.
3. (Note this will work with fresh mango too, but add some ice into the blender if you want a frozen drink.)
4. Finally, add ice to a glass and pour!

This can be transformed into a cocktail by adding a coconut rum or white rum to the mix. 

3. Rose Kiss with Matcha Alternatives’ Smell the Roses Cherry Rooibos

Tea profile

A perfect floral blend of rose petals and dried cherry with antioxidant-rich rooibos tea. It's caffeine-free with an irresistible sweetness!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• A cocktail shaker or a sturdy glass that you can cover to shake it up!
• 2 tsp of Matcha Alternatives’ Smell the Roses Cherry Rooibos infused simple syrup (best made with honey)
• ½ lemon (juiced)
• 1 cup of pomegranate juice (can be swapped for cranberry)
• 1 egg white OR a can of chickpeas (optional)
• Ice

Method

To start, you will need to prepare the tea syrup in advance (see above). For this recipe, honey or agave does work better. Rooibos has a robust character, but the cherry and rose come through beautifully, and the pomegranate juice is a good match to complement those flavors.

You need a cocktail shaker, jar or large glass with to shake the ingredients together. (If you don't have a cocktail shaker or jar, you can cover a large glass with a lid - just hold on tight!) Fill 1/3 of the shaker with ice.

Put everything into the shaker – the juice of half a lemon, pomegranate juice, tea syrup, and an optional egg white. Shake hard. You will feel it's ready when the shaker feels suddenly quite cold. The egg adds thickness and creaminess to the texture of the mocktail, but you should still achieve a foam top with just the sugar syrup and lemon juice.

Alternatively, if you want the foam but don’t want to use an egg, drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas - this is aquafaba, a vegan-friendly ingredient that foams almost as well as egg white. Use two tablespoons of aquafaba in place of the egg white.

This drink is best served in a chilled martini glass, but a small glass will do - no ice is needed to serve. Use a strainer if you have a small one. It should be pink in color with a foam top.

To make with alcohol, it will suit a nice vodka or gin!

A Note from the Mixologist...

We can all use a little more summery goodness in our lives, and what better way to achieve that than with a fun, refreshing drink? Simply whip up one of these mocktail recipes (or make it a cocktail if you prefer), and sip your way to sunshiney heaven!

And when you do, be sure to post your creations on Instagram! Tag @matchaalternatives and use the hashtag #matchaalternatives, and you might get a feature!

Jenni Flett

Be sure to follow Jenni on her wonderful blog and Instagram page for travel tips, advice, and stories! >

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	Dusky Mango Green Tea A lovely tropical mocktail base Ingredients: Green tea, Natural dried pineapple, Mallow flowers, Natural flavors
	Roasted Ginger Chai Yerba Mate A warming, spicy mocktail base Ingredients: Roasted mate, Black tea, Chopped and powdered ginger, Cardamom, Coriander, Cinnamon, Cloves, Black pepper, All natural flavors
	Smell the Roses Cherry Rooibos A sweet, floral mocktail base Ingredients: Rooibos, rose petals, dried cherry, All Natural Flavors
	Can't decide? Click here to add all three awesome blends to your cart and start your journey to mocktail perfection!

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Disclaimer

All of the information regarding the herbs, botanicals, minerals, vitamins, etc., is information drawn from traditional use data or academic research and should be regarded as such. If you, the reader, has a health or medical concern, please consult your healthcare professional. The information found here is not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe or cure and has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is for educational purposes only.

Further Reading on these Mocktail Teas

How to Brew Tea and Tisanes - MatchaAlternatives.com

Chinese vs Japanese Green Teas - MatchaAlternatives.com

Yerba Mate, What is it? - MatchaAlternatives.com

Rooibos vs Honeybush - MatchaAlternatives.com