Is the Chai-Tini 2022’s Answer to the Espresso Martini Trend?
Move over, espresso martini fad. There's a new cafe-inspired cocktail to try.
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The great espresso martini revival craze of 2021 is just one of many things about the last year (two years? more?) that we’re still processing. Perhaps it’s a telling symptom of our obsession with ‘productivity’ that we seek out a drink that promises to keep us alert even while ostensibly relaxing with an evening drink, suggesting we could be ready to respond to an after-hours Slack notification at any moment. Or perhaps it’s camp, operating in a sphere unbound by conventional standards of propriety and good taste, and, like settling under a weighted blanket to disassociate and binge-watch Emily in Paris, if you meet it with the right sort of energy, it can offer a kind of frothy enjoyment all its own.
Whatever the espresso martini is or was, as we enter a new year, we propose a new coffee shop-inspired cocktail for you to try. Meet the Chai-tini. It’s essentially an iced chai latte, but with booze. Vodka would be the natural choice, but an aged rum that heightens some of the sweet and spiced notes of the chai would also work well.
Drink it and raise a toast to a 2022 that is a little better – or at least more comprehensible – than the years we’ve recently lived through.
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Chai-Tini Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup plain unsweetened almond milk
- 2 bags of spiced chai
- 1 tbsp agave or honey
- 1 star anise pod
- 2 oz vodka or aged rum
- 2 cinnamon sticks, optional
Preparation
- On a small, rimmed plate, combine coconut sugar and ground cinnamon. Rub a bit of water around the rims of two martini glasses. Holding each glass upside down, dip wet rims into sugar mixture and twist until coated.
- In a small pot, bring almond milk, tea bags, honey and star anise to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let steep, about 10 minutes. Stir in vodka (if using).
- Strain and pour into prepared glasses. Garnish each with a cinnamon stick (if using).
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size ½ of recipe
- Calories 70
- Carbohydrate Content 15 g
- Cholesterol Content 3 mg
- Fat Content 2 g
- Fiber Content 0 g
- Protein Content 0 g
- Saturated Fat Content 1 g
- Sodium Content 56 mg
- Sugar Content 13 g