Bourbon Chai

By cindyandmojo

Ingredients

• 8 bags black tea, paper and string removed
• 8 green cardamon pods, crushed
• 8 whole allspice berries, crushed
• 8 whole black peppercorns, crushed
• 8 whole cloves
• 3 star anise
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 whole nutmeg, chopped
• 2 in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, seeds and pod reserved
• 6 cups hot water
• 6 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup honey or agave
• 1 cup spice forward bourbon, like Maker's Mark

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

1. Make the chai: In a 4-quart saucepan, combine tea, spices, ginger, and vanilla bean seeds and pod with 6 cups hot water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and add almond milk and honey or agave, whisking to combine. Return to a simmer, remove from heat, and allow to steep 10-15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth-lined strainer, pressing down on solids to extract flavors.

2. Transfer the chai to a heat-proof serving vessel (like an earthenware pitcher) and stir in bourbon. Alternately, ladle chai into 8 individual mugs and portion 1 oz. bourbon into each.