A few Christmases ago, my sister-in-law Kate, maker of those amazing Toasted Raviolis, gave jars of Russian Tea as a part of her goody-laden Christmas baskets.
I had never heard of Russian Tea (though apparently I was in the minority with the rest of the world), but once I tried it, I was hooked. It is particularly great for sore throats or uneasy tummies. This recipe makes a good-sized batch, so it will last for many cups of orange-spicey goodness. This is a modified version from various recipes I found on the internet.
Russian Tea
2 C. instant tea (green tea with lemon flavoring is great)
2 C. Tang
1 C. white sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp. cloves
Lemondrops (roughly smashed in a plastic bag with a heavy glass)
You will likely need to buy two containers of Tang, unless you can find really big ones. But two cups of a drink mix is a lot. Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a fork in a large bowl.To serve, heat a mug of water for 2 minutes in the microwave or start with hot water. Add 2-3 Tbsp. Russian Tea mix and stir til dissolved.
If you know why this standard holiday beverage is called Russian Tea, please comment and let us know! Of course, I may be embarrassed to find out that it simply resembles a traditional Russian tea. :oP
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Well, I'm 25% Russian and I don't know! I have a very similar recipe except that it uses lemonade mix instead of the crushed lemon drops.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a great idea to just use lemonade mix. I like being able to crunch things, and hot lemondrop bits with a gulp of Russian Tea is excellent. But the lemonade mix would definitely stretch the recipe.
ReplyDeleteHow much do you use?