Mad Hatter's Tea Party Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/12/21
Mad Hatter's Tea Party Cocktail
Inna Dodor / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Prep: 4 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Infusion: 60 mins
Total: 64 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
207 Calories
0g Fat
23g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 207
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 26mg 132%
Calcium 27mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 103mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Typically, infused spirits are made with fruits or herbs, but a tea? It's interesting and the key ingredient in the Mad Hatter's tea party cocktail. The infusion is a nice change of pace, especially when you want to spruce up a nice rum and enjoy a quick spiked iced tea-flavored drink.

This recipe is courtesy of Flor de Caña Rum. It's a brand of premium rums from Nicaragua with a distillery located at the base of the San Cristobal Volcano. The rum is aged in former bourbon barrels and sealed with plantain leaves, two elements that definitely impart a unique character into the rums.

The tea infusion originally featured a special tropical fruit tea, Salon Summer Royale from T Salon. The blend includes papaya, mango, and pineapple, which offers an intriguing base to the cocktail's flavor. Any tea blend with a similar flavor profile will make a great substitute. The infusion only takes an hour, so it's a good last-minute option and once that's done the cocktail is very easy to mix up. You'll enjoy how the tea-flavored rum is gently enhanced with lime juice and simple syrup, with a hint of ginger to wake up your taste buds.

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Ingredients

For the Tea-Infused Rum:

  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle aged rum

  • 3 tablespoons tea leaves, fruity blend

For the Cocktail:

Steps to Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this cocktail is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and assembly.

Make Tea-Infused Rum

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In an infusion jar, pour the rum, then add the tea.

  3. Shake well and let stand for one hour.

  4. Strain out the tea in a fine mesh strainer and bottle the rum. It can be stored like any other liquor.

Make the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

  1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tea-infused rum, lime juice, and syrups. Fill with ice.

  2. Shake well.

  3. Strain into an old-fashioned glass with fresh ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

  4. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

  • Flor de Caña now makes two 4-year-old rums. Both have a surprisingly dry finish and are worth trying in this cocktail. The Extra Seco rum is clear and has a light body that would probably be best for the tea infusion. The brand's Oro rum is a gold color with a medium body and a woodier taste.
  • To make removing the tea easier, place it in a mesh tea infuser ball. This will eliminate the need to strain because you simply need to remove the ball once the infusion is done.
  • Ginger syrup is easy to make at home and can be ready within an hour. As an alternative, if you have a bottle of ginger liqueur in stock, it's a perfect substitute.

How Strong Is a Mad Hatter's Tea Party?

The two recommended rums are bottled at 80 proof and the nonalcoholic mixers are only accents, so this is a rather strong cocktail. It should mix up to have an alcohol content around 20 percent ABV (40 proof), or half the strength of a straight shot of the rum.

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