Peach Bourbon Sun Tea
For the past two years I’ve been invited to the OC County Fair to do cocktail demos. Last year I did bubbly cocktails with fresh produce. This year I did tea cocktails. Why tea? Well, the theme for this year’s fair was Feel the Sunshine, so I did something I’ve never done before. I made sun tea!
I’ve been hearing about sun tea forever. But I’ve never made it before. I prefer hot tea over iced. You know, the kind where you stick the mug in the microwave, heat up the water, add a tea bag and a spoonful of honey and sip. That’s the way I like my tea. Hot and sweet. Perfect for a chilly day or when I’m not feeling great. Hot tea is also a great base for some of my favorite winter cocktails like the Hot Toddy. Iced tea on the other hand is not a favorite because it’s not usually sweet enough. Don’t get me wrong, iced tea is awesome on a hot day, but plain tea just doesn’t do it for me. It has to be sweet. Now, whether that means with simple syrup or honey, I don’t care. There just has to be a sweetener for me to enjoy a cool, tall glass. Once it’s sweetened up, I’m all in! And what’s the best way to make a large cup of iced tea? Sun tea!
Sun tea is one of the easiest things out there to make. While tea can be made in any water no matter whether it’s hot or cold, the hotter the water, the faster the tea steeps. But cold water will also make a delicious tea, you just have to let it sit longer. A lot longer. But other than the amount of time you need to make sun tea, you don’t need much: just a large jar or pitcher filled with cool water and your favorite tea bags! That’s it! The sun comes into play because it’s the heat from the sun that determines how fast your tea will brew. The sun heats up the water and brews the tea, which is why it takes longer to make a batch as opposed to brewing a simple cup.
Once the tea is brewed you can do whatever you like to it. If you’re like me, and prefer it sweet, you can add honey or simple syrup. If you like fruit add some oranges, lemons, strawberries or even peaches. Any of these choices would make a fine sun tea. A tea that would be a great on a warm afternoon. And while some afternoons call for simple tea, others call for something a little stronger. Some afternoons call for a cocktail, and sun tea makes a great cocktail!
I’ve mixed vodka, rum and bourbon with tea, and they’ve all been delicious, especially when the liquors are aged or flavored. Aged rums and bourbons tend to be sweeter so they add another layer of sweetness, but I like to take it one step further. I like to muddle in fresh fruit to enhance the flavors of both the teas and the liquors. Then I like to add soda because all drinks are better with bubbles, especially on a hot day.
While I’ve used oranges and strawberries in the past, this time I went with peaches since we’re right in the middle of peach season, and they go great with tea. But peaches are also a wonderful compliment to bourbon and ginger. So, I took all those flavors and combined them into one amazing cocktail. A cocktail that’s great on a hot summer day and perfect for this long Labor Day Weekend.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Broken Barrel Maple Mizunara
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1/3 cup chopped peaches
- 4 - 5 ounces sun tea
- ginger beer
Instructions
- Place the Mizunara, syrup and peaches into a cocktail shaker. Muddle until combined. Add the sun tea and ice and shake vigorously until chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer, garnish with a sliced peach and serve.
