Grammy's Recipe Book Drinks

Russian Spiced Tea

From Phyllis Caramanica

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Russian Spiced Tea
Page 2 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

Russian Spiced Tea
from Phyllis Caramanica
4 cups water
4 cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons whole cloves

bring above to a rolling boil
remove from heat add:

12 teabags - steep until real dark

Strain

add:
1 lb jar of honey
1 large (12 oz) can orange juice
concentrate
1 large (12 oz) can pineapple juice
concentrate
6 tablespoons lemon juice

to serve: Fill mug 1/3 with
mixture fill with boiling water

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

Spiced tea base

  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 tablespoons whole cloves
  • 12 tea bags

Then add

  • 1-pound jar of honey
  • 1 large (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1 large (12-ounce) can frozen pineapple juice concentrate
  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice

To serve

  • Boiling water

Method

  1. Bring the water, cinnamon sticks and cloves to a rolling boil.
  2. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep until real dark.
  3. Strain.
  4. Stir in the honey, orange juice concentrate, pineapple juice concentrate and lemon juice.
  5. To serve: fill a mug ⅓ full with the mixture and fill it up with boiling water.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

Spiced tea concentrate (makes about 2 quarts)

  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 12 black tea bags
  • 1 cup honey, or to taste
  • 1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1 (12-ounce) can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

To serve

  • Boiling water
  • Orange slices or cinnamon sticks (optional)

Method

  1. Simmer the water, cinnamon sticks and cloves for 10 minutes to draw out the spice.
  2. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Longer turns bitter rather than stronger.
  3. Strain out the tea bags and spices.
  4. Stir in the honey until dissolved, then the orange, pineapple and lemon juices.
  5. Cool and refrigerate in jars for up to 2 weeks.
  6. To serve: fill a mug ⅓ full with concentrate and top with boiling water.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Slow-cooker party batch

    Mix the concentrate with 2 quarts of hot water in a slow cooker on warm and let people ladle their own.

  • Iced

    Stir the concentrate into cold water or sparkling water over ice with an orange slice.

  • A splash of something

    A shot of dark rum, bourbon or brandy per mug makes it a winter toddy.

  • Jarred gifts

    Pour the concentrate into small bottles with a tag reading “⅓ mug, fill with boiling water”.