In 2010, while living in France, I hosted Thanksgiving for 24 American college students. Our “Franksgiving” celebration was boisterous and joyful. My students decorated my apartment with handmade construction paper leaves and turkeys. I cooked for days in the rickety Strasbourg kitchen—green beans, apple and cabbage slaw, winter squash. Students contributed favorite family casseroles, approximated with French market ingredients. I had rotisserie chickens delivered to the apartment on Garlic Street. It required a lot of planning, coordination, and energy to pull off “Franksgiving.” That fall, I gained a deep appreciation for the beautiful and large family meals my grandmothers, mother, and aunts have hosted over the years.
Back in the States, the scope of my responsibilities is narrower. I host intimate, occasional dinner parties, and I leave Thanksgiving to the pros. I am a daring cook and contribute generously to the meal, but being a guest rather than a hostess is blissful.
This fall, I have developed and perfected a tea cocktail that will shine at your Thanksgiving cocktail hour. Prosecco serves as the bubbly backdrop of my Sparkling Apple Spice Tea Cocktail. The star of the libation is Apple Spice Black Tea syrup, which infuses the drink with a bright apple flavor. Subtle undertones of rosemary and cinnamon make the drink especially fitting for the season. A splash of sparkling water cuts the sweetness, and a snip of rosemary makes it deliciously instagrammable.
This is not a persnickety cocktail. The tea simple syrup can be made weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator. It comes together quickly in a pitcher. I serve this aperitif in my Grandma Mary Ellen’s crystal champagne coupes. Use whatever glassware you can get your hands on, and feel free to mix and match. Cheers!
Inspiration
Elmwood Inn Apple Spice Black Tea
Sparkling Apple Spice Tea Cocktail
Virtually all the flavor in this cocktail comes from the Apple Spice Tea Syrup, which is made in advance and cooled. Use the freshest tea you can find from a tea purveyor you trust. I use Elmwood Inn’s Apple Spice Black Tea, a Sri Lankan tea with a warm apple flavor profile.
- Category: Celebrations, Tea and other Drinks
Ingredients
Sparkling Apple Spice Tea Cocktail
- 4 parts prosecco or other sparkling wine
- 1 part sparkling water
- rosemary sprigs for garnish
- 1 part Apple Spice Tea Syrup (recipe below)
Apple Spice Tea Syrup
- 3 tsp. Elmwood Inn Apple Spice Black Tea
- 1 c sugar
- 1 c water
- 1 branch fresh rosemary
Instructions
For One Cocktail
- In a large measuring cup, stir 25 ml tea syrup, 100 ml sparkling wine, 25 ml sparkling water. Serve in old-fashioned champagne coupe, garnishing with a clip of rosemary. Multiply as needed, preparing drink in pitcher for larger autumn dinners. For a less sweet cocktail, add additional sparkling water.
To make Apple Spice Tea Syrup
- Bring water to a boil in saucepan on stove.
- Remove from heat. Add rosemary and tea to hot water. (Note: tea can be nestled in disposable tea filter, tied in cheesecloth, or loose)
- Steep for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove rosemary and tea from saucepan. If you used tea filter or cheesecloth, take care to squeeze out extra tea. If tea is loose, strain it through a fine-meshed colander. Return tea to saucepan.
- Place saucepan on stove and bring steeped tea to a slow boil.
- Add sugar to the tea and stir until dissolved, allowing mixture to bubble for 2-5 minutes. The longer the mixture boils, the thicker the resulting syrup will be.
- Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
- Store in glass jar in refrigerator. Tea syrup will last at least one month in the refrigerator.