tea time, meet happy hour

When I was in Boston, one of the people at my friend's birthday party brought a drink made with Firefly (a sweet tea infused vodka) and lemonade. It was delicious, but a tad on the sweet side. Tea infused vodka has been around for a while now, and I thought it would be a great gift for a friend or a party favor. IKEA has these great glass bottles that have been on all the blogs (apparently they are also constantly out of stock - I have to go to IKEA tonight so will take a look). Here's what you do:

1. Prep - Most recipes I have found call for one tablespoon loose tea per 750 ml of vodka. They also all call for medium quality vodka - no point in using high end vodka when you're adding something, right? You'll need a large jar (with lid) or pitcher that closes tightly enough to give the vodka a good shake, a funnel (for pouring into the bottles) and a coffee filter (to get the loose tea out).

2. Make - Add the vodka and tea to your jar/pitcher and give it a good shake, then let it sit. People recommend checking the taste periodically to make sure it's strong enough but not getting bitter. I've seen articles saying to check every 10 minutes and then I've seen some that tell you to leave the tea in the vodka overnight. A happy medium will probably work.

2. Bottle - Strain mixture to very clean glass bottles. Here's the fun part - make custom labels for your vodka tea! Here's what mine will look like...

There's space to write in what type of tea you used and the date it was made on. My photoshop skills are not crafty enough to show what that would look like. If you like it, you can download it here and print it out on label paper.

Need ideas for to do with your vodka? Make a teatini (via CHOW): 2 ounces black tea infused vodka, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, 3 dashes orange bitters, ice. Shake, strain and serve! Or a Moroccan Bazaar (via thedailygreen): 2 ounces mint tea infused vodka, 2 ounces limeade, juice from 1 lime, 3 mint leaves, minced, club soda. Shake everything but club soda with crushed ice. Pour on the rocks, top off with the club soda and add a mint sprig for garnish.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Aimee]

Thanks for the comments! Stephanie - unfortunately I just found it in a google image search and thought it was lovely. But don't even know who makes it :( And Karli, that is my business partner Christiana in the DIY magazine article. She posts here occasionally, but also writes our sister blog http://fermliving.blogspot.com/

[Karli @ RockyBella]

I got the new DIY magazine today! Thats got to be you right???? I'm super new to your blog.
It was my fav part in the magazine!! Congrats.

[stephanie]

ooh, that's a beautiful black teaset- do you know if it's for sale?