This November 1959 recipe for witches’ brew was such a hit in testing that it has become a go-to party drink for our editors. The combination of tea, citrus, spice, and spirits is both warming and refreshing. Plus, you can make it ahead of time and let guests serve themselves—just keep it in a ceramic pitcher on a warming tray or in a slow cooker set to low heat.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
6 cups water
6 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
3 bags black tea
1 cup orange juice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup brandy, whiskey, or cognac
Garnish: thin lemon slices
Instructions
Put the water, cloves, and cinnamon in a 2- to 3-quart pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat.
Add the tea and turn off the heat. Steep 5 minutes.
Remove the tea and strain the spice water into a serving bowl. Discard the cloves and cinnamon.
Add the orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar to the tea and stir.
Stir in the sugar and the brandy, whiskey, or cognac (your choice).
Serve hot, garnished with a lemon slice.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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