Looking for ways to mix up your summer cocktail recipes? Take some inspiration from your afternoon tea! Whether you're putting tea front and center in a cocktail or just trying to add a little something to your go-to drink, tea can bring a whole new dimension of flavor and color to any recipe.

Simple Syrup

Since sugar doesn't dissolve in alcohol, simple syrups are often used in cocktails to add some sweetness. The process for making an infused simple syrup is, as you would expect from the name, quite simple.

- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil.

- Add 3 teaspoons of tea per cup of water and allow it to steep for approximately 5 minutes. Don't worry about steep time and temperature here the goal is to get as much concentrated tea flavor as possible. The added sugar will cover up any bitterness from over-steeping anyways.

- Lower the heat and add the same volume of sugar as you used for the water.

- Let the mixture simmer until all the sugar crystals are dissolved, approximately 2-3 minutes depending on the volume of water used. No need to stir!

- Allow the simple syrup to cool to room temperature before using it in your cocktails.

Simple syrup can last in the fridge for about a month. If you are not using all the syrup immediately, you can leave the tea leaves in to give the flavors more time to infuse. Just pour the syrup through a strainer when you're ready to add it to your cocktails.

Infused Liqueur

Liqueur is really just a fancy name for a heavily flavored alcohol. That means it's relatively easy to make your own liqueurs at home! Tea is a perfect candidate for this kind of infusion.

- Start with vodka, gin, or another clear spirit.

- In a glass jar, add 3-4 teaspoons of tea for every cup of liquor.

- Place the glass jar in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

- Strain out the tea leaves, and use as normal in any drink recipe.

Most store-bought liqueurs contain a lot of added sweetener. If you'd like your homemade liqueur to be sweet, you can add plain simple syrup to your taste. Or you can make a simple syrup with the same tea using the method above to get a stronger overall tea flavor.

Decorative Ice Cubes

Who says ice cubes have to be boring? Making ice cubes out of tea gives you endless options for adding a color or flavor boost to your favorite drink. Fruity teas pack a punch that pairs well with any iced cocktail (like the classic vodka soda pictured first). Some of our herbal blends can give you a particularly bold effect.

Herbal teas with hibiscus, like our Berry Blast or Wild Strawberry blends, will produce a vibrant red color that'll slowly infuse into your drink as the ice melts.

Butterfly Pea Flower will create deep blue ice cubes that liven up plain-looking gin and tonics. Add a little lime or lemon to your G&T and watch as the butterfly pea flower reacts with the citric acid, slowly turning your drink purple!

This method is pretty straightforward.

- Simply steep your tea according to the instructions.

- Let it cool to room temperature.

- our the tea into the ice cube tray, and toss it in the freezer!

If you want to keep the loose tea in the ice cube itself, you can steep the tea right in the ice cube tray. I used approximately a half teaspoon of tea for each ice cube. Blends with large fruit pieces and flower petals look particularly gorgeous suspended inside the ice cube.

Now to the cocktails!

1. Thai Tea Cocktail

Ingredients

for the Thai Tea simple syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 heaping tsp Thai Tea

Tea Thai Cocktail
2 oz Thai Tea simple syrup
2 oz rum
4 oz coconut milk
Ice

Instructions

- In a separate container, combine coconut milk and rum.

- Mix well. Pack ice in a tall glass.

- Pour simple syrup over ice.

- Pour coconut milk and rum mixture on top of the simple syrup. This will form two distinct layers in the glass.

- Mix slightly and serve.

2. Peach Jasmine Phoenix Pearl Schnapps

Ingredients

Jasmine Phoenix Pearl simple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4cup sugar
3 heaping tsp Jasmine Phoenix Pearl

Peach Jasmine Phoenix Pearl Schnapps
1/4 of a fresh peach, sliced and peeled
1 1/2 oz Jasmine Phoenix Pearl-infused gin
1/2 oz Peach schnapps
1 oz Ginger ale
1 1/2 oz of Jasmine Phoenix Pearl simple syrup (below)
1/2 oz lime juice
Peach slice for garnish

Instructions

- Combine fresh fruit, infused gin, schnapps, ginger ale, simple syrup, and lime juice in a blender.

- Blend until smooth.

- Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

- Garnish with a peach slice with optional ice cubes, and serve.

3. Vodka Cran-Berry Blast

Ingredients

4 large Berry Blast ice cubes
1 1/2 oz vodka, chilled
2 oz club soda
Splash of simple syrup (optional)
Lime slice

Instructions

- Place ice cubes in glass.

- Pour vodka, club soda, and simple syrup into glass, stir with cocktail spoon.

- Garnish with lime wedge and serve.