When I was a kid, Nana had an endless pot of tea on the kitchen stove to make iced tea for our family. When the tea was done steeping, she would stir in a heaping cup of white granulated sugar with a large wooden spoon. These cocktails are my version of Nana’s tea – and much less sweet – replacing the white sugar with sorghum, a thick, golden brown syrup most commonly found in the South, and generously adding in good quality bourbon for a welcomed grown-up cocktail.

Lime juice and a hint of black pepper make these drinks modern and fresh. Fresh rosemary sprigs make a festive holiday drink. To bypass fancy, and harken back to how Nana served tea, I like to pour the tea directly from the pot into the glasses.

Sorghum can be found in most grocery stores in the Southeast. It can be purchased online, too. Support The Guenther family at Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill and buy direct from them – they’re good people!

Makes 4-6 cocktails

Ingredients

• 6 cups water

• ½ cup sorghum

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 2 pinches baking soda

• 6 bags of black tea

• 1¼ teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper

• Juice 1 fresh lime + wedges for garnish

• Sprigs of fresh rosemary to steep and as garnish

• 6-8 ounces good quality bourbon, like Woodford Reserve

Directions

1. Bring the water to a rolling boil on high heat in a medium-sized pot and stir in the sorghum and brown sugar, and baking soda until dissolved. Add the tea bags and take off the heat. Let steep for 15 minutes, until the tea is a dark amber color. Press the tea bags into a large wooden spoon to release all of the tea and discard. 

2. Add the black pepper and lime juice, and briskly stir to infuse the tea. Steep with one fresh rosemary sprig, if desired. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. Discard rosemary. Can be chilled at this point for up to one week.

3. To serve, fill highball glasses with ice cubes. Pour the tea cocktail over the ice to about ¾ full. Top each with a shot glass (1½ ounces) of bourbon. Stir.

4. Garnish with a wedge of lime and sprigs of rosemary.

5. Serve.

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