Almond Milk Tea Cocktail
Alice and I have newly returned from a trip to Taiwan, where, as I do in all Asian countries we visit, I’m powered by milk tea. It’s one of the greatest failings of the good ol’ USA that we don’t have more milk teas stocked. Sure, you can get ice cold sodas, waters, teas and various things from convenience stores, but where’s my milk tea? I don’t want to always have to hunt down a boba shop to get my fix. Knowing that I can make it at home, I decided to up the fun factor, let’s have an Almond Milk Tea Cocktail.
Two great tastes that taste great together: almond and milk tea. You heard it here probably seventeenth, but you certainly heard it here.
If you’re unfamiliar with milk tea and can’t quite suss out its exact make up based on the name, allow me to illuminate the darkness. It is tea with milk and a small dab of sweetener. You can have it hot (for your morning beverage as I do, because I don’t fancy coffee) or cold (perfect when it’s muggy and hot). No matter how you have it, the fact that it’s amazing is irrefutable.
Unless you wanna refute it, then go have a Thor’s Coffee. Because Thor.
For the rest of us, I knew that I wanted to make one, but add some alcohol in there for a nighttime treat. Start that day with a warm milk tea, keep it going at noon with a cool milk tea (probably bought at 7-11 if you’re in the Asian part of the world) and finish your day with a boozy milk tea.
My immediate thought was to an almond flavor, as after Alice and I have finished eating sushi at one of our favorite sushi restaurants (Hide), had some dessert (at Beard Papa), we always finish with a milk tea and my go-to flavor is almond (from Volcano Tea).
Translating that into drink form was clearly a task worth tackling. First things first, make your tea — in this, you want a generic black tea. You don’t want anything too fancy, nuanced or funky, a simple black tea will do you. Then it’s just about milk (it is milk tea after all), a dab of simple syrup, almond liqueur and vodka.
Put them all together and you’re immediately transported to Shanghai, Taipei, Beijing, Tokyo or any of the other amazing cities in Asia.
Cheaper than a plane ticket, but well worth the cultural exchange of awesome.
Time for the Almond Milk Tea Cocktail!
- 1½ oz. brewed and cooled tea
- ½ oz. milk (whole, naturally)
- ½ oz. almond liqueur
- ¼ oz. vodka
- ¼ oz. Simple syrup
- 1 drop chocolate bitters
- Glass type: coupe
- Brew and cool your black tea.
- Add your cooled tea, milk, almond liqueur, vodka, simple syrup and chocolate bitters to your shaker with ice.
- Shake.
- Shake.
- Shake.
- Now that it's frothed, pour into your coupe.
- Give it a minute to settle and get a nice cream top.
- Put on a few more drops of bitters.
- Because it's pretty.
- Swirl them if you'd like.
- Drink and get transported to Asia.
- Only slightly cheaper than a plane ticket from LA.