Cloud Catcher Fruit Tea Virgin Mojito Mocktail
Cloud Catcher Fruit Tea Virgin Mojito Mocktail
Prep time: Less than 2 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Course: Cocktail
The History of Tea
Tea is steeped (no pun intended) in history. The entire history of tea could fill up a whole row of floor-to-ceiling shelves in a public library. A century ago, the tea industry was akin to our modern-day soda industry.
Across centuries, tea defined trade agreements, tax and tariff boycotts, and land battles. Tea was an essential global consumer product. Whole economies depended on it, and entire societies built their daily routines and spiritual rituals around it.
In its heyday, tea made waves. Tea is still a trendy beverage, and in the cabinets of just about every home in western society, you can find a box or a tin of teabags.
In the South, black tea is still consumed daily and with almost every meal. Only this tea is served cold and blended with large amounts of sugar and, in some cases, syrup. Iced tea is also something that northerners and inhabitants of the western United States enjoy, especially when the sun is hot. Iced tea thoughis usually unsweetened.
What Types of Tea are There?
Hot loose leaf tea varieties can span numerous contents, combinations, and blends—everything from India’s Masala Chia to England’s Earl Grey to Japan’s Genmaicha Yamasaki.
Different varietals are grown in other countries. The two main tea varietals are Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, cultivated throughout China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and the Camellia Sinensis Assamica, grown in Sri Lanka, Kenya, and India.
Black Tea, White Tea, and Green Tea
However, all tea, whether green, white, oolong, or black, comes from the same plant. The different teas, sans herbal, get their different flavors from different oxidization levels and the age of the leaves.
Herbal Tea Varieties
Herbal varieties technically are not teas at all because they do not contain actual tea leaves. Instead, herbal tea varieties are made of different medicinal plants, herbs, spices, and fruits that are dried and blended to create aromatic and balanced flavors.
Fruit Tea
Fruit tea is a unique missed opportunity. Caffeine-free, naturally sugar-free, and filled with free-radical fighting antioxidants, fruit tea makes for an incredibly versatile and deliciously refreshing drink year-round.
Different varieties of fruit teas can be medicinal and assist with ailments like insomnia, bladder infection, congestion, stomach discomfort, backed-up digestive tracts, and so much more. But beyond the medicinal benefits of fruit and herbal teas, there is nothing quite like the quality and taste.
Versatility in Flavor and Use
Not only are fruit teas versatile in the world of drinks, but they are perfect for adding natural sweetness and fruitiness to baked goods like cookies, cakes, breads, and breakfast treats, as well as the ideal starter for sauces, dressings, and even rubs for your meats.
Rub and stuff a holiday turkey down with a blend of tarragon, sage, and our Orange Spice tea blend, and you’ll have an unforgettable meal for your whole family to enjoy during the holiday season. The versatility of tea is endless.
Estero Turns Water into Wine, or Rather a Mocktail
Making a mocktail from fruit tea just makes sense. We’ve listed out our four main reasons for choosing fruit tea for our cocktails, but the benefits and versatility don’t stop here.
There are so many different varietals of tea that are healthy and delightful. You could try a new tea every day and still not have tried everything on the market.
Four reasons you should make the switch to fruit tea:
- By skipping juice, you can drastically reduce the amount of sugar you consume. You are also upping the number of daily antioxidants you are consuming.
- With so many herbal, green, black, and white tea varietals, the mocktail possibilities and flavors are absolutely endless!
- Teas are excellent served hot or cold, so refreshing summer drinks and warm, mulled virgin hot toddies are perfect opportunities to enjoy tea year-round.
- The ingredients for fruit tea are simple — hot water and your favorite tea blend, plus an optional favorite sweetener, but in most cases, fruit teas are sweet enough on their own.
We chose our Cloud Catcher Tea for this recipe because it is such a fun fruit tea that boasts the tart flavors of cherry with coconut and also features vanilla, making it the perfect accompaniment for a minty mojito.
The best part about this mocktail recipe is made from items regularly available in your pantry. It is made from dried tea, dried mint, and a can of seltzer and can be made in less than ten minutes altogether.
Fruit tea is also a low-calorie alternative to the sugar-laden fruit juices and mixers found on grocery store shelves.
We chose to keep this recipe low-sugar and only added one teaspoon of sugar to both our mocktails. You are welcome to substitute whatever sweetener you prefer and have on hand. Another favorite of ours is a stevia and monk fruit sugar cube that is low-carb and does not spike insulin levels.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Cloud Catcher Tea
- 1 cup hot water
- 8 fresh mint leaves or one tablespoon dried
- 2 teaspoons lime juice or two wedges of lime
- One can of seltzer water. We chose lemon-lime Waterloo for an added citrus kick without the calories.
- 1 Teaspoon cane sugar. We used sugar in the raw, but you can substitute it for your favorite.
- ½ crushed ice
Directions
- Bring your kettle or pot of water to a boil. Water boils at 212 degrees, while the perfect steeping temperature for fruit tea should be around 175 degrees. Allow your water to sit for a few minutes before you pour over your tea.
- Add your tablespoon of tea and teaspoon of cane sugar to a heat-safe bowl, glass, or mug. We want our tea to be nice and strong, so we will steep it twice as long as recommended for a simple glass of hot tea. Pour your 175-degree water over the tea and allow it to steep for about seven to ten minutes.
- Strain your steeped tea into your muddler and add your mint. Muddle the mint into the tea and add your half cup of crushed ice.
- Shake your mojito well and then split between two cocktail glasses.
- Finish by topping with your favorite fizzy seltzer water and garnish with a lime twist.
Mocktail Can Still Be Refined
Oftentimes, images of sickly sweet virgin daiquiris come to mind when we begin thinking of mocktails. However, mocktails can be just as refined and ceremonial as the tea on which it is built.
At Estero Bay, we take pride in providing teas of the highest quality. The shelves of our tea bar runneth over with endless inspiration for your next foray into unique tea and food recipes. Our vast collection of varieties and blends will have you exploring the flavors of each corner of the globe, one refreshing mocktail at a time.