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Say hello to the coziest cocktail, the Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian. My twist on the classic White Russian cocktail with vanilla chai tea syrup.
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Ingredients for Chai Spiced White Russians:
- Chai tea bags
- honey
- vanilla extract
- vodka
- kahlua
- chai tea syrup
- heavy cream
- cinnamon sticks
- star anise
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 cocktails 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 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.
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 cocktail too. The chai syrup makes enough for about six or so cocktails. 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.
Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian
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. 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Lastly, if you make this Vanilla Chai Tea White Russian, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
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Nice glassware pairing for this. 🙂
Thanks Jess!
Brilliant idea! Will try this weekend. One question, where did you find such lovely glasses? Please share.
Kris
They are from Anthropolgie, but are a couple years old now. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
All the cozy drinks are so needed right now – these are beautiful!
Thank you Laura!
a beautiful white russian I must say! Love the chai, love the reminder of this drink hadn’t had one in years but yours looks so beautiful, thank you for this recipe!
Thank you Sabrina! I hope you love this!
Oh my gosh! There is nothing I don’t like about this recipe! I have everything here to make it except the cream. Yummy, yummy, yummy it is going to be in my tummy! Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you like this! Thank you Ronda!
What brand of tea do you use?
I use Tazo Chai Tea. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hi!
I love all the recipes you’ve been posting lately! i think I’m going to make the wild rice soup this weekend. A few weeks ago, the Instagram account @noleftovers posted one of your recipes for pumpkin gnocchi and that’s how I found out about you! It looks amazing, and I’m making that soon too! 🙂 Also, where do you get everything bagel spice? That’s such an interesting thing to cook with and I know I’d love it.
Thanks,
Julia
They have it at Trader Joe’s
Thank you so much! I make my home everything bagel spice, but it can also be bought at Trader Joes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
This drink looks so cozy and comforting and delicious, perfect for winter! And your photos are always beautiful!
Thank you Lili!
You are nothing short of amazing. No blogger works as hard as you do. Go girl! Happy Thanksgiving!
Awh thank you Dana!