Ginger Apple Cider Hojicha Mocktail | Tea Recipe

by Tea in Spoons

With the colder weather rolling in, I was inspired by the tasting course I attended a few months ago and created my own tea mocktail!

Since sweet apple cider is currently in season, it seemed to be the perfect time to develop this recipe! I learned about the book, the Flavour Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page from Flag & Spear’s Finding Flavour course. The book is a comprehensive reference of compatible flavours. So, I perused the book and found other ingredients that would meld well with apples. After experimenting with a few combinations, I found a nice warming recipe to share!

The drink is reminiscent of apple cider cocktail. The liquor starts off with the warmth of the ginger at the back of the throat, followed by sweetness from the apple, sweet apple cider, and honey. The sip ends with the roasted flavour of the Hojicha green tea which mimics the smoky and woody notes of some rum or whisky. This takes under 10 minutes to make with 5 minutes over the stovetop!

Ingredients

  • 3 teaspoons Hojicha green tea
  • 1 cup sweet apple cider
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons of ginger, diced or roughly chopped
  • 1 Red Delicious apple, roughly chopped
  • Optional: 1 apple slice for garnish
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon honey, to taste

Instructions

  1. Add ginger, Red Delicious apple, sweet apple cider, and water into a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil
  2. Reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 3 minutes
  3. Add tea and allow to brew for 2 minutes
  4. Strain liquid with a fine-grained strainer or coffee filter
  5. Stir in honey to taste
  6. Add apple slice for garnish and serve

Tips

  • Red Delicious apples give the tea mocktail an underlying pink colour.
  • Honey removes some of the spicinesses of the ginger, so if you like a big kick of ginger, feel free not to include honey.
  • To have a more spiced variation, consider adding cinnamon, cloves, and star anise!

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2 comments

Em November 24, 2022 - 10:13 am

This sounds lovely. I’m not sure what I would use for the ‘sweet apple cider’ part because here in the UK, cider is an alcoholic drink (known as ‘hard cider’ to you folks). Is it just apple juice? I’m guessing there must be some difference because I’m pretty sure you guys have apple juice over there too.

Reply
Tea in Spoons December 24, 2022 - 8:47 pm

Hi Em, Sorry, just saw your comment. Based on wiki, it says “Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples.” We have also have apple juice and hard cider which is alcoholic like in the UK. It seems like it is a different process? Is there something known as ‘cloudy apple juice’ in the UK?

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Tea in Spoons is where I share my love of teas through tea reviews, tea travel, tea tips, information, and more. New tea adventure every Thursday!

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