Say hello to the coziest cocktail, the Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian.

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

So yeah, anyway, very excited for Thanksgiving, and this cozy little drink.

As I was working on my list of holiday cocktails for Christmas Drink Saturday, I knew I really wanted to do something with Chai this year. I am currently having a Chai tea moment, and 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 cocktail 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 cocktail, 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.

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Enter the Vanilla Chai Tea simple syrup. YUM.

All I did was make a heavily concentrated chai tea, sweeten with a little honey, and add a good amount of vanilla. Mix this up with the vodka, coffee liquor (I always use Kahlua), and cream and you have a Vanilla Chai White Russian…and 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 cocktail too. The chai syrup makes enough for about six or so cocktails, so this is perfect for entertaining or just sipping on with your family after Thursday’s feast.

Or here’s an idea. Seeing as this does have a little coffee in it, I’d mix up a couple in the morning for a sweet treat and then finish the day off with one as well.

Hey’s it’s Thanksgiving, liquid courage can sometimes be needed.

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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The Recipe

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian

Make a heavily concentrated chai tea, sweeten with honey, and add vanilla. Mix with vodka, coffee liquor (I always use Kahlua), and cream and you have a Vanilla Chai White Russian...the perfect holiday drink for both Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 0 1 + enough syrup to make about 6 drinks

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. 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. 1. Fill a glass with ice. Add the vodka, Kahlua, and chai tea syrup. Stir gently. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Garnish with cinnamon and star anise, if desired. 

Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

PS. I don’t mean to skip over Thanksgiving, but my excitement for Christmas is beyond holding back at this point.