Rooibos cocktail craze hits bars across Europe and US

A rooibos cocktail movement has taken over bars across the world’s cocktail capitals of London, New York and Cape Town, and has been dubbed by mixologists as this season’s favourite party mixer.

Popular rooibos-inspired cocktails on drinks menus include gin and rooibos, bush tea and tequila and a muddle of berries, vermouth, rooibos and crushed ice, which makes for the perfect summer cooler.

According to experts, bartenders are moving away from overly complex mixes and are creating interesting flavours with a few key ingredients, such as rooibos. Big liquor brands have also cottoned on to the trend and have launched various tea-based drinks and variants in recent months.

Ernest du Toit, spokesperson of the SA Rooibos Council (SARC), says given the fresh, full and natural flavour profile of rooibos, you don’t need a lot of different ingredients to achieve the perfect cocktail indulgence.

“Rooibos tea is an easy and effective way to boost any cocktail. A lot of subtleties of rooibos tea play well off off vodka and specifically gin, since the latter has a lot of the same characteristics as the tea,” he says.

While most cocktails are often packed with just as many calories as a doughnut, Du Toit points out that swapping calorie-rich ingredients for rooibos – which contains no fat or carbohydrates – offers not only a great slimming alternative, but also contains disease-preventing antioxidants, which protect against cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Try any of these rooibos-inspired cocktails that’s sure to rock your party:

Ride the High Country Cocktail

Ingredients:

· 45ml whiskey

· 30ml rooibos tea concentrate

· 150ml cream sherry

· Orange bitters

Method:

· Combine all ingredients (except bitters) and shake over ice.

· Double strain and garnish with a dash of orange bitters.

Rooibos Tea Punch

Ingredients:

· 500ml strong rooibos tea, cooled

· 500ml peach juice

· At least 100ml vodka

· 1 lemon, thinly sliced

· Handful fresh mint leaves

· 2 peaches, thinly sliced

Method:

· Combine all the ingredients in a large jug and stir well.

· Serve over ice.

Strawberry Punch

Ingredients:

· 750ml strong, cold rooibos

· 1 litre apple juice

· 1 litre granadilla/ passion fruit juice

· 1 litre strawberry juice

· 2 bottles (750m each) of sparkling red grape juice

· 1 punnet of strawberries, sliced

· 1 orange, sliced

· Fresh mint leaves

Method:

· Mix rooibos, apple, granadilla and strawberry juices and chill.

· Add chilled sparkling grape juice.

· Garnish with strawberries, orange and mint.

Rooibos Tea and Gin

Ingredients and method:

· Make a quarter cup of rooibos tea and keep the teabags inside.

· Add to 3 litres of your favourite gin.

· Allow to steep for 3 hours at room temperature.

· Enjoy and mix with your favourite cocktail.

Rooibos liqueur

Ingredients:

· 750ml brandy

· 2 cloves

· 2 sticks of cinnamon

· 750ml strong, hot rooibos

· 600g/750ml white sugar

· 25ml honey

Method:

· Add cloves and cinnamon to the brandy, shake the bottle and allow it to infuse overnight.

· Heat sugar and rooibos tea over moderate heat until sugar has dissolved.

· Boil uncovered for 20 minutes.

· Remove from heat and stir in honey.

· Remove cloves and cinnamon from the brandy.

· Add the brandy to the tea syrup and mix well.

· Pour into sterilised bottles and seal.

For more information about rooibos and all its uses, visit the website of the SA Rooibos Council at www.sarooibos.org.za.