Dirty Chai Toddy
gingerroot
Photo by Nicole Franzen
- Serves
- 2
- Prep Time
- 10 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 Minutes
My youngest brother is home from college for the holidays. He mentioned to me that during finals week, all he drank was dirty chai – chai with a shot of espresso. I love chai and I love espresso, so I was pretty sure I would like a dirty chai. Add a shot of bourbon, and you have a hot toddy that will erase the troubles of the day, even if it does not put you to sleep. My chai recipe is inspired by one I found at http://www.veetea.com/site/articles/Masala-Chai-Recipes/, with ingredients I had on hand. Note: While green cardamom pods are typically used, I only had black cardamom pods which have a smokier, more pungent quality. I was curious how it would affect the flavor, and I enjoyed the overall balance with the espresso and bourbon. - gingerroot
Ingredients
- For the Chai:
- 8 ounce half and half
- 4 ounce water
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 2 black cardamom pods, crushed with a mortar and pestle
- 5 pink peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle (up to 6)
- 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and flattened with the flat side of a large knife
- 2 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
- 2 sachets of organic whole leaf black tea, preferably Assam
- For the Dirty Toddy:
- 2 ounce espresso (I used Stumptown Roasters Hairbender), for the dirty toddy
- 2 ounce Knob Creek, or other good quality bourbon, for the dirty toddy
Featured Video
Dirty Chai Toddy
This starts out as a fragrant and mildly indulgent chai -- it's made with half-n-half -- and then right before serving you sling in some espresso and bourbon, and suddenly it's a drink with purpose and conviction.
Directions
- Step 1
Combine half and half, water, spices and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add black tea sachets and steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea sachets, strain out spices and split chai between two pre-warmed teacups. Add one ounce of espresso and one ounce of bourbon to each teacup. Sit back and enjoy.