Vanilla Chamomile Citrus <br/>Tea Mocktail — HAVE YOUR CAKE and read it too

Just because it’s almost Winter, doesn’t mean cocktail season is over. While a lot of people are prepping for their mulled wine making (and drinking), I decided to do something a little different this year... Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the Christmas Sangria (as I like to call it), but I wanted to start celebrating early this year and didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. So into the pantry I went to see what I could come up with.

Usually when you think cocktail, you think alcohol, but this is one of the things I didn’t have. To be honest, I’m really not a heavy drinker, unless we’re talking full-bodied wines, and even then, the heaviness is all in the tannins, not the amount I’m consuming. Anyway, I knew I needed something as a replacement, and I thought, what do people drink when it’s not “wine o’clock”? Coffee was my first thought, then tea came to mind, as I could see the Tazo overflowing on the shelf. With that I grabbed not one, but two different tea bags, and while waiting for them to steep, I searched for what else I could add. A few moments later, I was sipping on a vanilla chamomile citrus mocktail.

Here’s how I made it:

Directions:

Bring kettle to a boil and steep both tea bags in mug (or tumbler) of choice. I used Tazo calm chamomile, as well as their zen green tea blend, because that’s what I had on hand (and the flavours are stunning). However, you can use any chamomile and green tea you have (or prefer).

Remove tea bags (optional) and drizzle a small amount of syrup into the tea. I used a vanilla chamomile infused syrup by Noble Handcrafted from Welk’s on Main. However, you can use any simple syrup (or maple syrup) you have and add in a drop of vanilla extract for a similar effect.