Cocktails with a Tea Twist

Regardless of the seasons, there's never a bad time to upgrade your usual cup of tea to a tasty tea cocktail.  
 
Here are three super easy zero-proof recipes developed by Olivier Kaviani from Joro Restaurant (www.jororestaurant.co.uk). The trick is to add loose tea to your favourite juice instead of water, and leave it to cold infuse overnight before filtering and serving. Olivier says, "The combinations are endless and as with anything, the fresher the juice, the better the end result". 
 
Green tea & apple
8g Green tea (try Dewdrop Green, or Glacier Green)
500g Apple juice
 
Try with seafood dishes, especially scallops or fresh vegetables and salads. The grassy qualities in green tea helps to add complexity to the juice therefore making it more-friendly. 
 
Black tea & pineapple
8g Smoky tea (try Shangri-La Oolong)
500g Pineapple juice

This combination of sweet and smoky works great alongside barbequed meats or dishes with aromatic spices, like Indian or Thai cuisine. 

Black tea, hibiscus & grapefruit
6g Hibiscus
4g Black Tea (try New Day Assam, or Himalayan Gold) 
500g Red grapefruit
 
Make grapefruit juice more food-friendly by adding a combination of teas. Hibiscus amplifies the fruit in the juice whilst adding floral notes with black tea brings complexity. Sip on its own as a replacement for wine or alongside your typical red wine pairings.

Each recipe is for two serves (approximately 250ml each) but can be multiplied and batched in advance. Best not to use ice as it will dilute the flavours, and be sure to serve in wine glasses to enhance the experience.