A recipe for Chai Tea concentrate as well as a recipe for a Dirty Chai Bourbon Cocktail

a blue mug filled with chai tea on a black background.

We appreciate your support

This post may contain affiliate links. Life Currents participates in different affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information see here.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

So many recipes for Chai

I’ve been looking around for THE chai tea recipe. But, I’ve come to believe that everyone and their Indian Grandma has their own special recipe.

So, I finally decided to just choose one and go with it the best I could. (I found this recipe thanks to my friend Adrienne).

These two recipes were inspired by NPR and Food52.

My store didn’t have star anise, so I skipped that.

Fresh ginger would go bad in my house, so I went with dried.

I think you could totally cut back on the sugar in this, but for now, I’ll leave that the way I found it.

This was delish! Fresh and orangey. Fruity and peppy. Spicy and tasty. Yum!

Then, to make it even better, I made it into a Dirty Chai Cocktail. Even better!

But, wait, what’s a dirty chai?

Well, my not-caffeinated-enough-friends, a Dirty Chai or Red Eye Chai is God’s gift to the chai tea. Ok, maybe that’s a bit much, but it is delish.

And, when you can’t decide between your soy chai and a mocha latte, a dirty chai is the clear winner!

A recipe for Chai Tea concentrate as well as a recipe for a Dirty Chai Bourbon Cocktail Life Currents https://lifecurrentsblog.com #chaiTea #cocktail #drink

I was inspired by Food 52’s picture as well as their drink

It’s a shot of espresso mixed into a chai tea. Now, you could have this as a morning beverage without the bourbon and Kahlua, but where’s the fun in that? (BTW, I’m pretty sure that this is my new favorite cocktail!)

Pictures of booze bottles

bookers bourbon A recipe for Chai Tea concentrate as well as a recipe for a Dirty Chai Bourbon Cocktail

Ok, I couldn’t decide which picture of the Booker’s I liked better, so I used them both.

Kahlua: A recipe for Chai Tea concentrate as well as a recipe for a Dirty Chai Bourbon Cocktail

Mocha flavored Kahlua … yum!

Other great cocktail recipes

Everyone loves a good cocktail. And here are some of my favorites. Rob Roy, Hot Toddy, Cherry Scotch Sipper, and Orange Cinnamon Moscow Mule.

Let’s connect

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Chai Tea Concentrate Recipe

And make sure you don’t miss the Chai Tea Cocktail recipe lower in the post

square crop of a blue mug filled with chai tea.

Chai Tea Concentrate

Debi

a great easy to make recipe for Chai Tea Concentrate. Then add this to your favorite Chai Tea – iced or hot!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, Chinese, Indian

Servings servings

Calories 76 kcal

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups water
10 black tea bags
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
7 whole cardamom pods
10 whole cloves
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the tea bags, spices and orange zest. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. Let steep 10 to 15 minutes.
4 1/2 cups water, 10 black tea bags, 1 cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 7 whole cardamom pods, 10 whole cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon orange zest
Remove tea bags, and strain out the spices with a fine mesh sieve. Add brown sugar, honey and vanilla. Stir well to combine. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week (if it lasts that long).
½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste
Mix concentrate with milk of your choice (dairy, soy, almond, etc.) in about a half-half ratio. You may adjust more or less concentrate to your taste. Chai may be enjoyed warm or iced.

Notes

Makes 4 cups

3 whole cloves equal 1/4 teaspoon ground.
10 cardamom pods equal 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 38mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword chai, tea

Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!

a blue mug filled with tea on a wooden window sill.

Dirty Chai Cocktail Recipe

a mug filled with tea, the mug is in shadow on a black background.

Dirty Chai Cocktail

Debi

a delicious cocktail recipe that's full of flavor. Celebrate the weekend with this drink!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings serving

Calories 399 kcal