Old Fasioned Russian Tea

Old Fashioned Russian Tea Mix is one of those vintage recipes that take you back to the cold winter mornings of your youth, sipping steaming hot mugs of this treat on ‘Snow Days’ while watching the snowfall.

This instant tea mix is citrusy with warm spices. It’s delicious and perfect for chilly mornings when coffee won’t work. The original recipe contained a lot of sugar. In my adult years, I try to limit my sugar intake, so I’ve come up with sugar-free ingredients that are almost as tasty as the original. 

Old Fashioned Russian Tea Mix is easily customized to suit your family’s tastes – more lemon, less orange, extra cinnamon? Play with the ingredients until it’s perfect for your loved ones.

Did You Know?

Russian tea mix is also known as ‘Friendship Tea’ because it is often given as gifts in the South. Small mason jars full of the mix with a pretty gingham square, a fancy label on top, and a jute cord to tie it to the lids make an easy yet lovely gift for teachers, delivery people, and neighbors during the holiday season.

Where Did This Drink Develop?

Old Fashioned Russian Tea Mix is said to be based on the sweet, lemony, strong black tea enjoyed by Russian aristocrats in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In the early 1900s, the recipe migrated to the States, where it morphed into a citrusy, sweet tea flavored with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and sometimes nutmeg. 

The mix was most popular in the South, where it was a staple in church and Junior League cookbooks. It was also served at weddings, baby and bridal showers, bridge clubs, and church groups.

The recipe morphed again in 1959 when Tang orange drink mix hit the market. Instant teas, powdered lemonades, and Tang were used instead of brewing tea leaves, making orangeade and lemonade from scratch.

It has been a Southern favorite ever since, often enjoyed during the holidays and winter months.

Ingredients Needed

• Iced tea mix with lemon – you can get either sugar-sweetened or the zero-sugar variety. I like using Zero Sugar Lipton Iced Tea With Lemon.
• Orange flavored drink mix – Tang is great if you can find it. You can order it from Amazon or orange unsweetened Kool-Ade, which is a great alternative.
• Lemonade mix – I like Country Time Zero Sugar.
• Sweetener of choice or sugar – I used Truvia.
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground Cloves
• Ground Allspice
• Cayenne Pepper – this is optional but adds a little kick in the back of the throat.
• Cinnamon Red Hots candy – optional, but it’s a fun touch.

Steps To Make This Recipe

1. Stir all of the ingredients into a large bowl until well combined,
2. Spoon the mixture into a container with a tight seal.
3. Add 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons to 1 cup of boiling water.
4. Stir and enjoy.

Variations And Additions

• Add additional spices such as cardamom for a touch of sweetness and aroma, a pinch of nutmeg, which adds warmth and aroma, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice.
• If you like citrus, add a ½ cup of limeade mix.
• If you enjoy honey in your tea, adding dried honey powder as your sweetener or part of your sweetener is lovely and adds a hint of honey flavor.
• Add a shot of spiced rum, brandy, whisky, or Fireball cinnamon liqueur for a hot toddy in the evening.

How To Store The Mix

The mixture will harden into clumps if not in a tightly sealed jar or canister. Once in a container, store the mixture for up to six months at room temperature. But trust me, it won’t last that long.

This is my favorite way to spend a lazy, cold afternoon…sipping Old Fashioned Russian Tea, wrapping myself in a soft, cashmere throw blanket, and reading a fantastic book. If you haven’t read Liane Moriarty’s book, “Here One Moment“, I highly recommend it.

Try A Few More Of Our Cold Weather Classics

• Cuban Black Bean Soup
• Moroccan Spiced Lentil And Quinoa Soup
• White Chicken Chili
• Braised Beef Ragu
• French Chicken Vinaigrette
• Cincinnati Chili

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