Made with just convenience store ingredients! 4 ZEN TEA BREW cocktail arrangements

ZEN TEA BREW is a DIY cocktail kit where you infuse loose-leaf tea and botanicals into spirits. Simply put it in a bottle and chill for an hour to create your own Tea Infusion (tea cocktail).

While delicious on its own or with soda, adding a little more effort can make it even more enjoyable. This time, we'll introduce four arranged cocktails that you can make by simply adding ingredients available at convenience stores to your prepared Tea Infusion. We'll also touch on the science of aroma to explain why these combinations work so well.

Recipe 01 — Yuzu Green Tea Gin & Tonic

Kit Used: Tea Master's Strike Yuzu Green Tea Highball
Pan-fried green tea / Yuzu / Cardamom / Japanese pepper

This is the driest of the four kits, and the gin and tonic format suits it perfectly. The botanicals in gin, the bitter quinine of tonic water, and the savory aroma of pan-fried green tea. These three elements converge on the same "bitter" axis, resulting in a crisp, dry cocktail.

Ingredients

• Tea Infusion (extracted with gin) 30ml
• Tonic water 180ml
• Lemon juice A dash (optional)
• Ice Plenty

Instructions

1. Fill a glass with plenty of ice.
2. Pour lemon juice into the bottom of the glass — The acid helps to keep the yuzu aroma component (limonene) in the liquid and prevents the aroma from dissipating with the carbonation.
3. Pour in 30ml of Tea Infusion.
4. Stir gently.
5. Gently pour tonic water along the inside wall of the glass.
6. Give it a light stir and serve.

Result: approx. 6% alc.

Why gin? The botanicals in gin, including juniper berries, belong to the same "plant-based aroma" family as pan-fried green tea and yuzu. Ingredients with similar scents naturally blend well. For more on choosing spirits, please see "Choosing Spirits for Tea Cocktails."

Recipe 02 — Strawberry Rose Tea Spritzer

Kit Used: Strawberry & Rose Black Tea Afternoon Cocktail
Black tea / Strawberry / Rose

To bring out the delicate aroma of strawberry and rose, it's important that the alcohol itself doesn't overpower them. The clear transparency of vodka allows the floral aroma of the kit to come through as is.

Ingredients

• Tea Infusion (extracted with vodka) 30ml
• Sparkling water 130ml
• Peach nectar 20ml
• Salt A pinch (optional)
• Ice Plenty

Instructions

1. Fill a glass with plenty of ice.
2. Pour in the sparkling water first.
3. Slowly add the peach nectar.
4. Gently pour the Tea Infusion on top — The difference in specific gravity creates a beautiful gradation.
5. Add a pinch of salt and stir from the bottom up to serve.

Result: approx. 6% alc.

The pouring order is key. Pouring sparkling water, then nectar, then Tea Infusion creates layers of color due to the difference in specific gravity. Adding a pinch of salt sharpens the sweetness and brings out the rose aroma. For more techniques, check out "10 Tips for Making Significantly Better Home Cocktails."

Recipe 03 — Smoked Fig Cola [Most Popular]

Kit Used: Midnight Fig Smoked Cocktail
Smoked black tea / Fig / Apple

This is the most popular recipe among the four. The smokiness of smoked black tea and the spiciness of cola surprisingly overlap. The reason lies in chemistry. The smoky aroma component "guaiacol" and the "vanillin" found in cola are both phenolic compounds. Because their molecular structures are similar, the brain naturally recognizes them as "the same kind," resulting in a unified flavor.

Ingredients

• Tea Infusion (extracted with whiskey) 30ml
• Cola 150ml
• Lemon 1 slice
• Ice Plenty

Instructions

1. Fill a glass with plenty of ice.
2. Rub the lemon peel around the rim of the glass to release citrus oil.
3. Pour in 30ml of Tea Infusion.
4. Stir gently.
5. Gently pour in the cola.
6. Squeeze the lemon once, give it a light stir, and serve.

Result: approx. 6% alc. (Cola Zero is also fine. Less sweetness highlights the smokiness even more.)

Why whiskey? The smoked black tea in this kit is smoked with wood chips from the same type of wood used for whiskey barrels. The tea leaves and whiskey, both imbued with the same woody aroma, meet. That is the secret to their natural harmony. For approaches to infusing not only Western spirits but also shochu, please refer to "Choosing Spirits for Tea Cocktails."

Recipe 04 — Roasted Peach Milky Sparkle

Kit Used: Adult Time Roasted Peach Oolong
Roasted oolong tea / Dried peach / Cardamom / Konpeito (sugar candy)

The caramel notes from rum's molasses and the roasted aroma of oolong tea. Both share the commonality of flavors created by "heating." This is a dessert-like drink with the fruity taste of peach and the mildness of a small amount of lactic acid beverage.

Ingredients

• Tea Infusion (extracted with rum) 45ml
• Lactic acid beverage 20ml
• Sparkling water 100ml
• Lemon juice A dash (optional)
• Ice Plenty

Instructions

1. Before pouring into the glass, mix the lactic acid beverage and Tea Infusion in a small cup first — The trick is to homogenize liquids with different viscosities beforehand.
2. Fill a glass with plenty of ice.
3. Pour the mixed base into the glass.
4. Add lemon juice and stir lightly.
5. Gently pour in the sparkling water and give it a stir to serve.

Result: approx. 6% alc.

Go easy on the lactic acid beverage. Casein (milk protein) in lactic acid beverages combines with tannins in oolong tea and absorbs the roasted aroma. The trick is to keep it under 20ml and use it as a "secret ingredient."

Convenience Store Shopping List

To make all 4 recipes, this is all you need.

• Tonic water (for Recipe 01)
• Sparkling water (for Recipes 02 & 04)
• Cola or Cola Zero (for Recipe 03)
• Peach nectar (for Recipe 02)
• Lactic acid beverage (for Recipe 04)
• Lemon or lemon juice (useful for all recipes)
• Bagged ice (common for all recipes)

With a Tea Infusion prepared with your favorite spirit, you can enjoy four types of cocktails starting tonight. If you're unsure which spirit to use, please refer to "Choosing Spirits for Tea Cocktails."

→ View all 4 types of ZEN TEA BREW cocktail kits