Go Back
Sweet D Tea Cocktails Iced Black Tea With Bourbon and Mint
Print

Sweet D Tea (Black Tea Mint Julep)

Sweet, minty and delicious! This new twist on a classic mint julep adds iced black tea to create a bourbon cocktail that's refreshing and perfect for all day sipping.
Prep Time20 minutes
Active Time10 minutes
Resting time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Beverages, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bourbon, Cocktail, Mint Julep, Sweet Tea
Yield: 12 Cocktails
Author: Diana Jendoubi
Cost: $30

Equipment

  • 1 Iced Tea Pitcher
  • 1 Small Sauce Pan
  • 1 Spoon
  • 1 Fine Mesh Strainer
  • 1 Jar or Glass Container with Lid
  • 12 Highball Glasses

Materials

  • 3 Bunches Fresh Mint Washed and Destemmed (reserve a few mint sprigs for garnish)
  • 30 Oz Good Bourbon Maker's Mark, Bullet, Buffolo Trace
  • 5 Cups Water
  • 1 Cup Demerara Sugar
  • 4 Heaping Teaspoons Good Loose Leaf Black Tea Assam, Darjeeling, or Ceylon
  • Ice

Instructions

Brew Tea

  • Boil 4 cups of water (save remaining 1 cup of water for the mint simple syrup)
  • Add 4 heaping teaspoons of good quality loose leaf black tea to a reusable tea bag or infuser.
  • Allow the tea to steep for 3 to 5 minutes
  • Remove the tea leaves and allow the tea to cool completly

Make Mint Simple Syrup

  • Heat the remaining 1 cup of water in a small saucepan
  • Add 1 cup of Demerara sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove the syrup from the heat and set aside
  • Add in 2 bunches of destemmed whole mint leaves (about 1 cup tightly packed leaves). Do not chop or crush the mint leaves. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the syrup to infuse for 1 hour
  • Using a fine mesh strainer, strain out the mint leaves and transfer the simple syurp to a glass jar or container and refrigerate

Assemble the Cocktail

  • Using a glass or plastic iced tea pitcher, take the remaining bunch of destemmed mint leaves and slap them between your hands to release their essential oils. Then add them to the bottom of the pitcher
  • Pour in 2/3 of the mint simple syrup, 30oz of the bourbon, and 4 cups of the cooled black tea
  • Give the mixture a stir and taste to see if it needs the remianing simple syrup
  • Fill highball glasses with ice and top them off with the Sweet D Tea mixture. Garnish with mint sprigs and enjoy

Notes

Adding whole mint leaves to the simple syrup at the end and letting them infuse for an hour before straining them out will stop the leaves from turning black and making the syrup bitter.