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| Photo courtesy of Craft PR |
Alcohol and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship. While I love the taste and refreshment of certain cocktails and ciders, and love sipping on a good glass of wine or bubbly, alcohol doesn't always sit very well with me. Over the last year or so, I've had to get more selective about which alcohol I choose to drink and most definitely how much. With this being said, I've had to turn down a lot of events and promotions this year, knowing that I wouldn't be unable to fully take part. Long gone are the days of getting silly at Beer Fest with my sister, and tasting five drinks in an afternoon at a cocktail competition. In all honesty, other than causing shenanigans with my sister at Beer Fest, I really haven't missed all those other events very much.
As the weather begins to (slowly) get warmer, I've found myself craving refreshing, summertime sippers, that feature just enough alcohol to relax me, but not enough that I don't feel like myself. As though the universe heard my cries for summer sippers, I was promptly invited to Teapigs early celebration of National Iced Tea day (which takes place on June 10!) at Figo last week. With Teapigs fragrant iced teas as the star of the event, I knew I would be in good hands to be able to enjoy the event and featured drinks, without feeling uncomfortable.
With my favourite +1 in tow (my sister, Justine!) we walked into a very buzzing Figo and headed straight to the bar to check out the cocktail offerings. Just as I had hoped, the event featured very "Danielle-kinda-cocktails," meaning bright, refreshing, and low on booze...with one mocktail option to boot! The first cocktail I tried turned out to be my favourite! The Ginger Collins was a zingy and citrusy cocktail featuring Teapigs Lemon & Ginger Tea, St. Germain Elderflower Liquer, Benedictine D.O.M., lemon juice, and soda water. As much as I wanted to try the two other cocktails being prepared that night, I would have been perfectly fine just sipping on my Ginger Collins all evening, as it was exactly what I was looking for!
I was glad that I branched out from the Ginger Collins once I tried the next cocktail, the Super Fruit Punch. Though it was slightly boozier than the Ginger Collins, it was just as refreshing and incredibly delicious! Featuring Teapigs Super Fruit Herbal Tea, lemon juice, Ketel One Vodka, and Peche de Vigne, I could definitely see myself sipping on this one on my balcony on a hot summer day. Though I loved the Ginger Collins the most, I can think of a number of friends who would go crazy over the Super Fruit Punch!
Though I had thought that the mocktail may turn out to be my favourite, I have to admit...I didn't like it. The mocktail prepared was called a Marrakesh Mocktail and featured Teapigs Marrakesh Green Tea with Peppermint, apple juice, lemon juice, and pineapple and star anise bitters. While all of the flavours sound like they would create a drink I would like, I found the peppermint flavour from the tea incredibly overwhelming. Though I didn't like the cocktail prepared with the Marrakesh Green Tea with Peppermint, I have since tried brewing the tea on its own, and actually really loved the tea itself. I guess I just wasn't a fan of the mocktail as a whole...sorry to the mixologist.
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| Photo courtesy of Craft PR |
Thank you so much to Teapigs and Craft PR for inviting me to take part in this event, and for sending me home with a bag full of amazing-smelling Teapigs teas! I'm so excited to make the Ginger Collins and Super Fruit Punch at home for my friends and family this summer! To help you get your summer sippers on, Teapigs was kind enough to give me the recipes for their cocktails to share with you as well! Be sure to make one on June 10th to celebrate National Iced Tea day!
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| Photo courtesy of Craft PR |
Ginger Collins
Serve: In a pitcher
Glass: Collins
Ice: Cubed
Garnish: 3 lemon wheels down the side of the glass
Ingredients:
10 oz. Teapigs Lemon & Ginger Tea (4 tea temples) (chilled)
5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqeur
1 1/4 oz. Benedictine D.O.M. (or omit and add 1 oz. more simple syrup instead)
2 1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 oz. Simple syrup
Top with soda water to your liking
Directions:
- Brew 4 cups of Teapigs Lemon & Ginger Tea. Steep for longer than you would for a regular cup of tea to ensure the flavour stands out - 10-minutes. Remove tea temples and chill before use.
- Add all ingredients, except the soda water, into a pitcher filled with ice. Add garnish and stir until all ingredients are mixed.
- Top with ice and soda water. Pour into a Collins glass to serve.
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| Photo courtesy of Craft PR |
Super Fruit Punch
Serve: In a pitcher
Glass: Collins
Ice: Crushed
Garnish: Half strawberry & sage leaf
Ingredients:
12 oz. Teapigs Super Fruit Herbal Tea (4 temples) (chilled)
2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
3 1/2 oz. Ketel One Vodka
3 1/2 oz. Peche de Vigne
2 1/2 oz. Simple syrup
Directions:
- Brew 4 cups of Teapigs Super Fruit Herbal Tea. Steep for longer than you would for a regular cup of tea to ensure the flavour stands out - 15-minutes. Remove tea temples and chill before use.
- In a pitcher filled with crushed ice, add all ingredients and stir.
- To serve, pour into a Collins glass and garnish with half a strawberry and sage leaf.
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