Is your favorite iced tea tasting a little plain lately? Try one of these delicious boozy sweet tea recipes!
Tea combined with alcohol has a long history in the United States.
During the Colonial era, hosts often combined alcohol, fruit, sugar, and freshly brewed tea into potent punches for festive occasions.
These punches tended to go heavy on the alcohol and were more likely to call for green tea rather than black tea, but they were extremely popular with colonists.
Thanks to the fridge, we began chilling boozy tea and forgoing the alcohol, creating a cold, refreshing drink that anyone could enjoy during warm weather.
But that doesn’t mean that spiked sweet tea has gone by the wayside. In fact, it’s more popular than ever due to the cocktail renaissance of the last quarter-century!
Here are 8 of our favorite drinks that feature tea as a base ingredient.
Start by making a batch of sweetened ice tea. We offer 3 different recipes!
1. Kentucky Sweet Tea
Nothing symbolizes the Bluegrass State like a bottle of beautifully aged bourbon.
Kentucky Sweet Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Tall glass
- Straw
Ingredients
- 8 oz iced tea
- 1 shot bourbon
- Lemon slice
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill the glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the iced tea into the glass.
- Add a shot of bourbon.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon.
2. Green Moonshine
If you’ve got a bottle of moonshine hanging out in the back of your pantry somewhere, summertime is a perfect season to make use of it.
Corn liquor tastes great with any kind of tea, but green is especially good.
Green Moonshine Recipe
Equipment
- Stove
- Pot
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey
- 5 green tea bags
- 8 oz moonshine liquor
- Ice
- Mint or cucumber slices
Instructions
- Boil the cold water and sugar or honey in a pot.
- Once it has boiled, shut off the heat and let it sit for two minutes to cool slightly.
- Add the green tea bags, cover, and let steep for five to seven minutes.
- Remove the bags, squeeze the excess water out, and discard.
- Pour in the moonshine and stir.
- Chill until cold, and then serve over ice with fresh mint sprigs or cucumber slices.
3. The John Daly
Arnold Palmers–that classic mixture of half iced tea and half lemonade–are popular with both children and adults.
But what if you just need it a little gussied up while hitting the links?
You make a John Daly, of course!
Poking fun at famous golfers is a serious past-time in some parts of the south. Join in the fun by making this effortless cocktail.
6. Spiked Peach Tea
Peach crops are common in Georgia and so is this refreshing, fruity summer cocktail. All you need is a bottle of peach schnapps.
Spiked Peach Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz peach schnapps
- 8 oz iced tea
- Slice of fresh peach
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Add the peach schnapps to the iced tea.
- Pour into the glass with ice.
- Garnish with a thin slice of fresh peach.
7. Sangria Tea
Sangria is tasty all by itself, but using ice tea as a base makes it even better. If you like wine you’ll love it combined with tea.
Sangria Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Large pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 quart cold tea
- 2 cups dry white wine
- Simple syrup
- Chopped fruit of choice
Instructions
- Add the cold tea to a large pitcher.
- Add the wine.
- Sweeten to taste with simple syrup and chill for eight hours or overnight.
- Add diced fruit to the pitcher.
- Serve & enjoy.
8. Porch Punch
Porch Punch is uncomplicated and delightful, much like an evening spent on your back porch, watching the sun go down.
Porch Punch Recipe
Equipment
- Pitcher
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 cups orange juice
- 2 cups sparkling water
- 1 1/2 cups bourbon
- Ice
Instructions
- Place the Earl Grey tea bags and hot water in a heat-resistant pitcher.
- Steep for five minutes, and then remove and discard the bags.
- Add the orange juice, sparkling water, and bourbon to the pitcher.
- Serve in ice-filled glasses.
The Last Word In Boozy Sweet Tea Recipes
You can combine sweet tea with many different kinds of alcohol to make refreshing summer cocktails, including wine, whiskey and flavored liqueurs.
Try one of these cocktails the next time you’re relaxing on a summer evening or hosting guests for a patio get-together. You won’t regret it!
Prefer boozy coffee? Check out our guide to the best liquor for coffee.
Boozy Sweet Tea FAQ
What alcohol goes well in tea?
The most common alcoholic addition to tea cocktails is bourbon, but any other kind of whiskey can be used in its place. Vodka and white rum also pair well with tea.
Can you make sweet tea vodka at home?
Yes, it’s not hard at all! Sweet tea-flavored vodka has become popular recently. Here’s how to infuse your own.
– Pour a 750 ml bottle of plain, clear vodka into a large jar.
– Add 4 bags of black tea, cover, and let sit on a countertop or windowsill.
– After 12 hours, the vodka should turn a deep reddish-brown, the color of strong black tea.
– Remove the tea bags and discard them.
– Sweeten the vodka with some simple syrup and serve over crushed ice.
The John Daly Recipe
Equipment
- Highball glass
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 oz sweet tea
- 2 oz lemonade
- 1 shot vodka
- 1 strawberry
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the sweet tea, lemonade, and vodka into the glass.
- Stir the mixture.
- Add ice and garnish with a strawberry.
You’ll love our round-up of the best sweet tea brands.
4. Mojito Tea
The flavors of a classic mojito combined with sweet tea? Yes, please!
Mojito Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Tall glass
- Pitcher
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- 1 quart cold tea
- 8 oz white rum
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Place the fresh mint leaves into the bottom of a pitcher and muddle with a wooden spoon.
- Add three cups of ice, the cold tea, and the rum.
- Add the lemon juice and stir.
- Serve in tall glasses with ice and lime wedges.
5. Orange Margarita Tea
If mojitos aren’t your thing, perhaps some tea-based margaritas will quench your thirst on hot summer days.
Orange Margarita Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz iced tea
- 2 oz orange juice
- 2 oz tequila
- Ice
- Orange slice
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Mix iced tea, orange juice, and tequila in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake and then pour over ice.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
6. Spiked Peach Tea
Peach crops are common in Georgia and so is this refreshing, fruity summer cocktail. All you need is a bottle of peach schnapps.
Spiked Peach Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz peach schnapps
- 8 oz iced tea
- Slice of fresh peach
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Add the peach schnapps to the iced tea.
- Pour into the glass with ice.
- Garnish with a thin slice of fresh peach.
7. Sangria Tea
Sangria is tasty all by itself, but using ice tea as a base makes it even better. If you like wine you’ll love it combined with tea.
Sangria Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Large pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 quart cold tea
- 2 cups dry white wine
- Simple syrup
- Chopped fruit of choice
Instructions
- Add the cold tea to a large pitcher.
- Add the wine.
- Sweeten to taste with simple syrup and chill for eight hours or overnight.
- Add diced fruit to the pitcher.
- Serve & enjoy.
8. Porch Punch
Porch Punch is uncomplicated and delightful, much like an evening spent on your back porch, watching the sun go down.
Porch Punch Recipe
Equipment
- Pitcher
- Tall glass
Ingredients
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 cups orange juice
- 2 cups sparkling water
- 1 1/2 cups bourbon
- Ice
Instructions
- Place the Earl Grey tea bags and hot water in a heat-resistant pitcher.
- Steep for five minutes, and then remove and discard the bags.
- Add the orange juice, sparkling water, and bourbon to the pitcher.
- Serve in ice-filled glasses.
The Last Word In Boozy Sweet Tea Recipes
You can combine sweet tea with many different kinds of alcohol to make refreshing summer cocktails, including wine, whiskey and flavored liqueurs.
Try one of these cocktails the next time you’re relaxing on a summer evening or hosting guests for a patio get-together. You won’t regret it!
Prefer boozy coffee? Check out our guide to the best liquor for coffee.
Boozy Sweet Tea FAQ
What alcohol goes well in tea?
Can you make sweet tea vodka at home?
– Pour a 750 ml bottle of plain, clear vodka into a large jar.
– Add 4 bags of black tea, cover, and let sit on a countertop or windowsill.
– After 12 hours, the vodka should turn a deep reddish-brown, the color of strong black tea.
– Remove the tea bags and discard them.
– Sweeten the vodka with some simple syrup and serve over crushed ice.
