Chai Spritz (Batch Mocktail)

If you know me, you know I love a fun little non-alcoholic drink, especially when hosting a gathering! I was recently inspired by Olivia Noceda’s batched cocktail/mocktail recipe (one of my fave creators, GENIUS) and decided to make my own batched drink over the Thanksgiving holiday. We hosted both our families, one after the other, respectively, so I wanted something low-key & easy, but still impressive & festive. I figured a chai-inspired drink with a bubbly element would work nicely.

This mocktail was a huge hit at both of our Thanksgiving gatherings this year. It’s a lovely addition to any holiday gathering or brunch. I used ginger ale and OK Cider’s NA apple cider from our fall trip to OKC (sparkling apple juice works well too)! This was so much fun to make; I hope you get enjoy it with your loved ones too.

Chai Spritz
makes 8 – 10 servings

Time: active time 20 minutes, chill time at least 2 hours (best overnight)
Ingredients:

  • 6 teabags black tea–Assam would work well; I used a random black apple tea I found at the local Asian market
  • 8 cups of water
  • 2 oz fresh ginger, washed & sliced
  • 5 anise stars
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
  • 2-3 oz cardamom syrup, or any simple syrup, to taste (I started with 2 oz and adjusted from there)
  • sweet sparkling beverage of choice: ginger ale and/or apple cider (I ended up using about half a liter of each, depending on what guests wanted)

Garnishes (optional):

  • orange slices (for glass rims)
  • thinly sliced apples, soaked & chilled in lemon juice to preserve color
  • chai sugar blend (I used this spice blend recipe & added a couple tablespoons of sugar)

Method:

  1. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add teabags and ginger, anise, cloves, and cardamom pods. Let the water come to a bubbling boil again after adding the aromatics.
  2. Bring the pot down to a simmer and let simmer until the mixture has been reduced by about half.
  3. Let the chai mixture chill and transfer to a large jug or container (along with the aromatics), cover & chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, best if chilled overnight. Chill the ginger ale and/or sparkling apple juice as well.
  4. After chilling, strain the mixture into a large pitcher, and stir in the cardamom syrup. Keep chilled until just before serving. I kept the teabags submerged in the pitcher until right before serving, to continue to steep in the tea flavor.
  5. Have your chai sugar blend ready in a shallow wide bowl/plate. Using an orange wedge, wet the edges of the glasses you plan to serve the drinks in. Glasses with thin rims work best!
  6. Dip each glass into the chai sugar blend.
  7. In each glass, pour the chai mixture to about halfway (~4-5 ounces), and then finish the top off with sparkling beverage of your choice (~2-3 ounces). I did ginger ale for some drinks and apple cider for others–both were a hit!

Notes:

Shots: If you want, feel free to add a shot of whatever liquor your prefer to this drink to make it a dirty drink! I had guests who added brandy, which they said was a good addition.

Let me know what you think!