Cooking Lesson #889: Tennessee Sweet Tea Smash Cocktail

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? I drink several quarts of unsweetened iced tea everyday—it is my beverage of choice. So, when it’s cocktail time I like to continue with the tea.
 
I’m not alone, teas, more specifically sweet tea, is a summertime treat enjoyed throughout the South during warm weather backyard cookouts, quiet conversations and anytime one requires a delicious respite from the heat. The same can be said about whiskey—great American Tennessee whisky. Put the two together, and what do you get?... my Tennessee Sweet Tea Smash, a drink that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
 
My Tennessee Sweet Tea Smash is quite simple. The summery cocktail merges Tennessee whiskey, with iced tea, Strega, sugar, lemon and a touch of mint. The latter two ingredients are muddled in a shaker, or smashed, hence the drink’s name—SMASHED. But don’t drink too many or you, too, will get SMASHED.
 
You’ll need a good muddler. You want to squeeze the lemon wedges to release their juices and the rich oils in the peel.
 
Fix this refreshing drink when the sun is high, and the weather is warm. Make two if you’ve got company, then find a nearby porch swing and let life slow down a little more with each sip. Afterall it’s summertime!
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:   1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
2 lemon wedges
4 mint leaves
1 ounce of real Tennessee whiskey
1 teaspoon Strega (an Italian liqueur made from 70 herbs and spices)
1 ounce unsweetened iced tea
1 teaspoon cane syrup
Garnish: mint sprig
 
Directions

1. In a shaker, muddle (with your new muddler—Amazon under $15) the lemon wedges and mint leaves.
2. Add the whiskey, Strega, iced tea and cane syrup with ice, and shake until well-chilled.
3. Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.

ChefSecret:  Be careful to press the mint rather than shred it. Destroying mint leaves releases a bitterness you don’t want in your tea cocktail.

Quip of the Day:  How do you prevent a tea leaf from becoming bitter? Talk it out. It may need some steep therapy.
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#Cocktail #HappyHour #SweetTeaCocktail #TennesseeWhiskey #Strega #IceTea #SmashCocktail #SummertimeHappyHour #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
 
                                                                         ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

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