Cocktails with Cold black tea
Cold black tea is fully oxidized Camellia sinensis leaves brewed and then chilled, used as a non-alcoholic mixer.
How it's used
It lengthens a drink and adds a tannic grip that water cannot: a tea highball tastes structured where a watered one tastes weak. Unlike juice, it brings no sugar at all, which is why it turns up in punches. If it has to hold its own, brew it strong but short. Tannin comes out late and turns the drink astringent, and sugar will not hide that.
Substitutes for Cold black tea
Freshly brewed tea
Use half again as much black tea as for a hot cup. Steep 3–5 minutes, then chill.
Bottled iced tea
Unsweetened swaps straight in. With sweetened ones you need less syrup: about a barspoon less of 2:1 for every 50 ml of the sweetest tea.
Cold-brew tea
Swaps measure for measure. With less caffeine and bitterness, it gives a softer drink.
Storage
Brewed and refrigerated, it keeps a day or two. Hot-brewed tea often goes cloudy as it cools. The haze is caffeine and polyphenols binding: harmless, just unattractive. Cold-brewing avoids it.
