Rooibos cocktails prove a hit

A Rooibos cocktail movement has taken over bars across the world’s cocktail capitals of London, New York and Cape Town, and has been dubbed by mixologists as this season’s favourite party mixer.

Popular Rooibos-inspired cocktails on drinks menus include gin and Rooibos, bush tea and tequila, and a muddle of berries, vermouth, Rooibos and crushed ice, which makes for the perfect summer cooler.

According to experts, bartenders are moving away from overly complex mixes and are creating interesting flavours with a few key ingredients, such as Rooibos.

Big liquor brands have also cottoned on to the trend and have launched various tea-based drinks and variants in recent months.

Mr Ernest du Toit, the spokesperson of the SA Rooibos Council (SARC), said given the fresh, full and natural flavour profile of Rooibos, you do not need a lot of different ingredients to achieve the perfect cocktail indulgence.

“Rooibos tea is an easy and effective way to boost any cocktail. A lot of subtleties of Rooibos tea play well off of vodka and specifically gin, since the latter has a lot of the same characteristics as the tea,” he said.

While most cocktails are often packed with just as many calories as a doughnut, Du Toit points out that swapping calorie-rich ingredients for Rooibos, which contains no fat or carbohydrates, offers not only a great slimming alternative, but also contains disease-preventing antioxidants, which protects against cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Try any of these Rooibos-inspired cocktails:

•  Ride the high country cocktail

Ingredients

45ml The Black Grouse (or other) Whiskey

30ml Rooibos Tea Concentrate

150ml Cream Sherry

Orange Bitters

Method

Combine all ingredients (except bitters) and shake over ice

Double strain and garnish with a dash of Orange Bitters

•  Rooibos tea cocktail

Ingredients

6 blackberries

45ml Shochu (a trendy Japanese clear distilled spirit similar to vodka)

30ml Sweet white vermouth

45ml Chilled brewed red Rooibos tea

Ice

1 lemon twist

Method

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 5 berries with the Shochu, vermouth and tea

Add ice and stir

Pour through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe

Garnish with the remaining berry and the twist

•  Rooibos tea punch

Ingredients

500ml strong Rooibos tea, cooled

500ml peach juice

At least 100ml vodka

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Handful fresh mint leaves

2 peaches, thinly sliced

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a large jug and stir well

Serve over ice

•  Ices Rooibos tea cocktail

Ingredients

60ml Rooibos Espresso Tea

30ml cherry vodka

15 ml milk

½ cup of ice

Garnish: Cherries

Method

In a serving glass add Rooibos Espresso, cherry vodka, and ice

Stir mixture then add milk

Garnish with Cherries

•  Fire and ice tea cocktail

Ingredients

3 cups of Rooibos Chai tea

1 cup of cranberry juice

120ml vodka

30ml Limoncello

Cranberries and/or thinly sliced lemons for garnish

Method

Pour 3 cups boiling water over 2 tbsp. Rooibos Chai tea

Steep for 10 minutes, and then strain

Refrigerate until cold. (To chill instantly, brew tea in 1 1/2 cups water & strain over 1 1/2 cups ice)

Combine chilled tea with 1 cup chilled cranberry juice, 120ml vodka, and 30ml Limoncello

Shake over ice. Serve well chilled in martini glasses, champagne flutes, or short tumblers. Garnish with cranberries and/or thinly sliced lemons

Makes 4 cups (1 litre)

•  Strawberry punch

Ingredients

750ml strong, cold Rooibos

1litre apple juice

1litre granadilla/ passion fruit juice

1litre strawberry juice

2 bottles (750m leach) of sparkling red grape juice

1 punnet of strawberries, sliced

1 orange, sliced

Fresh mint leaves

Method

Mix Rooibos, apple, granadilla and strawberry juices and chill.

Add chilled sparkling grape juice.

Garnish with strawberries, orange and mint.

•  Rooibos tea and gin

Ingredients and method

Make a 1/4 cup of Rooibos Tea.

Add the Rooibos to 3 litres of your favourite gin.

Allow to steep for 3 hours at room temperature.

Enjoy and mix with your favourite cocktail.

r Rooibos liquor

Ingredients

750ml Brandy

2 cloves

2 sticks of cinnamon

750ml strong, hot Rooibos

600g white sugar (750ml)

25ml honey

Method

Add cloves and cinnamon to the brandy, shake the bottle and allow it to infuse overnight.

Heat sugar and Rooibos tea over moderate heat until sugar has dissolved.

Boil uncovered for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in honey.

Remove cloves and cinnamon from the brandy.

Add the brandy to the tea syrup and mix well.

Pour into sterilized bottles and seal.

For more information about Rooibos and all its uses, visit the website of the SA Rooibos Council at www.sarooibos.org.za