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NYC’s 5 Best Tea Cocktails To Try This Summer

July 16, 2012 2:01 PM

Credit: Frites & Fries

The varieties of tea are seemingly limitless. Bartenders are taking full advantage of this broad flavor palate by blending them into cocktails, either in traditional form or by infusing spirits directly. By Laren Spirer.

NYCs 5 Best Tea Cocktails To Try This Summer

Credit: Anfora

Anfora

34 8th Avenue

New York, NY 10014

212-518-2722

www.anforanyc.com/

More: NYC’s 9 Best Wine Bars

The bar team at Anfora creates a syrup out of chamomile tea and incorporates it into the Camo-Carlita along with tequila and a blend of lemon, lime, and grapefruit juices. A float of Lambrusco adds an elegant and bubbly finishing touch.

Credit: Frites & Fries

Parm

248 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10012

212-993-7189

parmnyc.com/

Parm pairs up its Italian-American comfort food with a creative cocktail list, including a nod to its neighboring ‘hood, the Chinatown sling. They infuse Gordon’s gin with tea before a quick shake with cherry and Aperol for a refreshing drink with grapefruit and orange notes and a touch of tannin from the tea.

Credit: Raphael Reyes

Mihoko's 21 Grams

16 West 22nd Street

New York, NY 10010

212-741-0021

mihokos21grams.com/

Raphael Reyes, the bar manager at newcomer Mihoko’s 21 Grams, has created two vastly different tea cocktails on the opening menu. The Coquette features dragon pearls jasmine tea mixed with lemon verbena, lemon juice, yuzu and oleo sacrum (a mix of sugar and lemon rind oils), shaken with Bombay Sapphire East, while the Belle Epoque blends hibiscus tea with pineapple juice, 10 spice syrup, lime juice, Four Roses bourbon, habanero-infused Santa Teresa rum and bitter lemon soda.

Credit: Damien Good

Morandi

211 Waverly Place

New York, NY 10014

212-627-7575

www.morandiny.com/

Morandi has given an Italian twist to the classic Arnold Palmer. In lieu of the traditional lemonade, they mix iced tea with Absolute Citron, lemon juice and limoncello.

Credit: Facebook/Lani Kai

Lani Kai

525 Broome Street

New York, NY 10013

646-596-8778

lanikainy.com/

More: NYC’s 4 Best Tiki Bars

This tiki-inspired icy concoction from Lani Kai starts with an infusion of mango black tea in Applejack for a tropical base. Add some Palo Cortado sherry, pineapple syrup, lime and house falernum, give it a swizzle, and you’ve got a perfect summertime refresher.

Laren Spirer is yet another lawyer (and freelance writer) obsessed with food and drink, who also blogs at Sweet Blog o’ Mine and tweets at @sweetblogomine.