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Say hello to the coziest co*cktail, the Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian.
It’s T-minus five days till Thanksgiving, and these warming, cozy drinks are totally going to be our after-dinner Turkey Day nightcaps. I am already excited.
Well, actually I’m excited about everything to do with Thanksgiving, but I’m pretty sure, that come the end of the night, this drink, with a side of my family, and a Christmas movie, will be what I desire most. Truly cannot wait! As I have hinted throughout the week, it’s just been so busy over here that even though I will be cooking all day on Thursday, I am happy to have a little mind break from all things work. That’s not to say I don’t love thinking about work, but sometimes it’s just nice to cook and not actually have to worry about testing or photographing a recipe.
Thankfully, all my Thanksgiving recipes are tested and ready to go. I just have to get them cooked on time, and not burn them…which yes, I have done many times before.
Anyway, I’m very excited for Thanksgiving, and this cozy little drink.
While working on my list of co*cktails for Christmas Drink Saturday, I realized I wanted to do something with Chai. I’m currently having a Chai tea moment. I’m loving infusing my recipes with Chai spices – see these pumpkin chai cookies and this chai pumpkin pie. I loved the idea of a creamy chai co*cktail with hints of coffee, so a White Russian-style drink was my obvious choice.
For those unfamiliar with a White Russian, it’s a vodka and coffee liquor-based co*cktail, finished off with a little cream. It’s literally 1 part vodka, 1 part coffee liquor, and 1 part cream. It’s good, but in my personal opinion, it could use a little more flavor.
Enter the Vanilla Chai Tea simple syrup. YUM.
All I did was make a heavily concentrated chai tea. I then sweetened it with a little honey, and added a good amount of vanilla. Mix this up with vodka, coffee liquor (I use Kahlua), and cream and you’ll have a Vanilla Chai White Russian. The perfect holiday drink for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
For whatever reason, I see this as more of an after-dinner kind of drink, but obviously, you can serve it any time of day. It would be a great brunch co*cktail too. The chai syrup makes enough for about six or so co*cktails. Perfect for entertaining or just sipping on with your family after Thursday’s feast.
Hey, it’s Thanksgiving, liquid courage can sometimes be needed.
PS. I don’t mean to skip over Thanksgiving, but my excitement for Christmas is beyond holding back at this point.
Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 drink + enough syrup to make about 6 drinks
Calories Per Serving: 934 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
Chai Tea Simple Syrup
- 4 chai tea bags
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chai White Russian
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) vodka
- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) Kahlua
- 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) chai tea syrup
- 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) heavy cream
- cinnamon sticks and star anise, for garnish
Instructions
Chai Tea Simple Syrup
1. In a medium pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chai tea bags, cover and steep 10-15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the honey. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 3-5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Let cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Chai White Russian
1. Fill a glass with ice. Addthe vodka, Kahlua, and chai tea syrup. Stir gently. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Garnish with cinnamon and star anise, if desired.
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