10 Min
5 Min
Around 4 Cocktails
Summer mocktail / Botanical cooler
Vegan • Caffeine moderate
Introduction
High-grown Ceylon Uva black tea brings brisk citrus lift and honey-soft malt. Sweetlips infuses ginger-cardamom warmth into a clear simple syrup, while sparkling mineral water adds effervescence. A curtain of dried hibiscus petals drifts across the surface, colouring the drink ruby and whispering cranberry tartness—midsummer in a glass.
Ingredients
Tea concentrate
6 g Ceylon Uva black tea (about 3 pyramid sachets)
500 ml fresh water at 95 °C
Sweetlips syrup
120 ml filtered water
120 g organic caster sugar
2 tsp Sweetlips spice blend
Assembly & garnish
250 ml chilled tea concentrate
250 ml chilled sparkling mineral water
Clear ice blocks
4 thin wheels organic Valencia orange
1 Tbsp dried hibiscus petals
Directions
Brew the tea
Combine tea and 500 ml water at 95 °C. Steep four minutes, strain, cool, then refrigerate until chilled.
Prepare Sweetlips syrup
Stir water, sugar, and Sweetlips in a small pan. Simmer two minutes until sugar dissolves. Cool ten minutes; strain through fine mesh; refrigerate.
Build the cocktail
Fill a chilled highball with clear ice. Add 60 ml cold tea and 30 ml Sweetlips syrup. Top with 60 ml sparkling mineral water. Stir gently until the glass frosts.
Garnish
Slip an orange wheel along the side and scatter a pinch of dried hibiscus petals on top.
Serving Notes
Tea concentrate and syrup keep refrigerated for seventy-two hours, ideal for advance batching.
Sparkling mineral water may be swapped for unsweetened kombucha to introduce gentle acidity.
For deeper colour, cold-brew the tea overnight with the same ratio.
Why It Works
Ceylon Uva’s natural citrus notes align with Sweetlips ginger and cardamom for a unified flavour arc. Infusing the syrup rather than the tea prevents muddiness, allowing spice aromatics to stay vivid. Sparkling water elevates volatile oils and refreshes the palate, while hibiscus petals supply anthocyanin-rich tint and a faint tannic edge that balances sweetness. A perfect summer Ice Tea mocktail.
