Hot Russian Tea – a mix to serve or gift

Make this hot Russian tea mix and you’ll be ready at a moments notice for a warming treat. The mix makes a great hostess gift too!

Hot Russian Tea is one of the drinks that reminds me of my childhood, and it always made an appearance at family holiday gatherings. My dad is the one who would make it and I don’t know  where he got the recipe, but it’s the perfect hot beverage for entertaining.

I’m not sure why it’s call “Russian” tea either, as it’s a family-friendly drink. However, I did add a shot of vodka to the adult version just to give it a Russian spin. Nothing wrong with that!

What makes this different from most drink recipes I share, is that you make a powdered mix and add hot water to it. This is nice because you can make one cup at a time whenever you want. The flavor is similar to hot cider but with a touch of citrus.

Make a large batch of this Russian tea mix and store it in a canister so it’s ready to combine and sip whenever you are.

You’ll notice from the ingredients that this is an old school recipe. Have you bought Tang drink mix lately? I haven’t, but I buy it for this!

Hot Russian Tea Mix

• 2 1/4 cups Tang drink mix
• 1/2 cup instant Iced tea mix with Lemon flavor
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.

Transfer into a lidded canister to store.

Stir 1/8 cup mix with 9-10 ounces of hot {not boiling} water.

TIP: to add the “Russian” to this hot Russian tea, add 1 shot of vodka to your prepared drink.

Garnish with lemon or cinnamon stick and enjoy.

Now growing up my dad used to make a big pot of this and keep it warm on the stove during the party. I’m not sure what his exact measurements were but my best estimate would be to add about 1 3/4 cups of mix with 1 gallon of water. Then you can ladle it into mugs as needed. You could also keep this hot in a crock pot.

This would certainly be a delicious beverage to serve for a Halloween pumpkin carving party, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The children love it, as do adults, and a shot of vodka makes it even more festive. You could also place the mix on your hot cocoa bar for a complete hot drink station.

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