This is no ordinary pitcher of sweet tea!
This Mai Tai Iced Tea is boozy, fun, and refreshing!
It’s easy to kick back and relax when you are sipping on this easy breezy cocktail!
I do love the “girly” cocktails. You know the ones, that are colorful, sweet, and fruity. The problem with these types of cocktails is they are often deceptively strong. One minute you are sipping on your cocktail and having meaningful conversations the next minute you are dancing on the tables….or maybe that is just me??
Mai Tai’s are a classic tropical cocktail that screams summer vacation! I took this classic cocktail and combined it with my favorite sweet tea to make a big batch cocktail that is perfect for any occasion!
What Is A Mai Tai?
A Mai Tai is a rum-based cocktail that is infused with Curacao (an orange-flavored liqueur), almond syrup, and a splash of lime juice.
Mai Tai’s have a sunny and bright appearance that is absolutely inviting!
How Do You Make Mai Tai Iced Tea?
To begin, prepare a pitcher of your favorite iced tea. I used a slightly sweetened powdered mix that also had lemon flavoring. You could do the same or use:
Premade Iced Tea
Homemade Iced Tea
Unsweetened Tea
Once you have your pitcher prepared, stir in orange juice, spiced rum, amber or gold rum, and grenadine. Follow up with a splash of fresh lime juice.
You have options as to how you flavor your Mai Tai as well. I tried to keep with the traditional Mai Tai Cocktails by using orange juice in place of the orange liqueur, but you could stir in Orange Curacao if you are so inclined.
Simple syrup can be used to sweeten your cocktail instead of the grenadine (the grenadine adds that sweet pink hue)
Use Pineapple Juice in place of or in addition to the orange juice.
I omitted the Orgeat Syrup which is an almond-flavored syrup used in many Jamaican cocktails. I didn’t feel almond flavor would lend itself well the flavor of this tea, but by all means, experiment with flavorings!
Use white rum in place or in addition to the dark rums. **A note on the rum. I used a spiced rum and an amber rum from Captain Morgan labeled Cannon Blast. It is amber in color but without any spice. Play around with rum flavors! Coconut rum is always welcome!
*A note on the alcohol quantity, my advice is to taste as you go. I felt that this recipe had the perfect amount of rum. Sometimes amber or spiced rum can overpower other flavors. But you may find you want the rum to stand out, then, by all means, add more.
Is Mai Tai Tea Gluten-Free?
The juices in a Mai Tai are gluten-free! If you ARE watching your gluten intake, make sure you check the rums as some rums (some spiced for example) need to be checked.
Also, check your tea as some leaves and powders do contain gluten.
One of the best things about this Mai Tai recipe is that it does make a large enough batch to share with friends. It can easily be cut in half or doubled as needed. You can easily omit the rum and serve this as a virgin Mai Tai Iced Tea!
More Rum Cocktails
Mai Tai Iced Tea
This is no ordinary pitcher of sweet tea! This Mai Tai Iced Tea is boozy, fun, and refreshing! It’s easy to kick back and relax when you are sipping on this easy breezy cocktail!
Ingredients
- 4 cups premade sweetened (I used a lemon-flavored tea)
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup spiced rum
- ¼ cup amber rum
- ¼ cup grenadine
- Lemon slices and cherries for garnish
Instructions
- In a pitcher combine the tea, orange juice, rums, grenadine and splash of juice.
- Pour over ice and serve with lemon slices and maraschino cherries if desired.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 98Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 4mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 0g
Leave a Reply