Cocktails with Cold black tea
Cold black tea is fully oxidized Camellia sinensis leaves brewed and then chilled, used as a non-alcoholic mixer.
Substitutes for Cold black tea
Underneath the tannin it is water, so a substitute is chosen by how much structure the drink needs rather than by flavor.
Often confused with
Sweetened iced tea
Sugar is already in it, often a lot. A recipe balanced for unsweetened tea comes out cloying, and the fix is arithmetic before the drink is built.
Cold-brew tea
Steeped cold for hours instead of brewed hot and cooled; less tannin, no haze, softer aroma, and it does not stand up to as much as a strong hot brew.
Storage
Brewed, refrigerated, a day or two, and it grows more tannic the whole time. Hot-brewed tea that is chilled often goes cloudy as it cools — the haze is caffeine and polyphenols binding, harmless and unattractive, and cold-brewing avoids it entirely.
