I really need to workshop a better name for this drink, but what it lacks in nomenclature it makes up in deliciousness.
As soon as I saw this Apple Crown Royal I knew it would go perfectly with my favourite iced cinnamon rooibos tea. I actually had the idea weeks ago, but I thought for a drink with these flavours I should wait until closer to fall. Then I was like… FUCK IT. It has ice, therefore it is a summer drink. When Taylor was sick the other week he tried this as a hot drink but said it wasn’t as good? I do find that when iced, this tea has a natural sweetness that it doesn’t have when hot, so it might need more honey. I’m going to try it myself once the weather cools down.
cinnamon apple whisky tea with honey
1 oz apple whisky
1/2 oz honey simple syrup (recipe below)
3 oz iced cinnamon rooibos tea (recipe below)
ice
apple slice for garnish
In an Old-Fashioned glass pour whisky, honey syrup and tea over ice. Stir, garnish with an apple slice, and enjoy!
honey simple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
Pour the honey and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to completely melt the honey. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then strain into a small jar and keep sealed. Unlike my other flavoured syrups I don’t keep my honey syrup in the fridge because I don’t want it to crystallize. Can honey even go bad? I’m pretty sure it will last for thousands of years but you may prefer to err on the side of caution.
cinnamon rooibos iced tea
8 tbsp cinnamon rooibos loose tea*
1 1/2 liters boiling water
2 1/2 cups of ice
If you are using an iced tea pitcher with a built in infuser:
Add the loose tea to the infuser. Pour in the water and allow to steep for 8 minutes. Remove the infuser, top up the pitcher with ice and stir. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
If you are using a hot teapot with an infuser:
Add the loose tea to the infuser. Pour in the water and allow to steep for 8 minutes. Remove the infuser and transfer the tea to a 2-liter pitcher. Top up with ice and stir, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
* I have only tried this particular brand of tea, other teas may be less sweet so adjust your honey levels accordingly.