This one's an oldie-but-goodie! Instant Russian Tea Mix, also called
Instant Spiced Tea, is a vintage Southern favorite. With its warm spice
flavors and orange Tang base, it's a Southern Christmas staple -- whether it
be sipping mug-fulls around the Christmas tree, or packing up portions in
Mason jars as the perfect gift from the kitchen.
Who's familiar with this tasty Tang-based Instant Russian Tea? Because it's an
oldie-but-goodie for sure! With its orange and warm spice flavors, it's become
a Southern Christmastime favorite. -- Both for sipping as a comforting warm-up
on chilly days, and for packaging up as the perfect little gift from the
kitchen.
As a staple in Southern church cookbooks since Tang powdered drink mix hit the
market in 1959, this recipe has been handed down and passed around far and
wide throughout the past six decades. And it continues to be just as loved
today as it was back when the recipe was first created.
Instant Russian Tea Mix is said to be loosely based on the black tea with
lemon and sugar beverage that was the mainstay of upper-class Russian society
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, hence how the recipe got
it's "Russian" name. That drink somehow (and I won't even pretend to know how)
morphed in the 1800s-United States into an orange, lemon, and sweetened tea
combination.
With its orange and warm spice flavors, Instant Russian Tea has become a Southern Christmastime favorite.
And then when orange-flavored Tang powdered drink mix hit the market in 1959?
-- Well, someone got the good sense to mix it with instant powdered tea,
sugar, and spices to create the Instant Russian Tea Mix recipe we now all know
and love. I sure wish I knew who that good-sensed person was, because I'd give
them a huge kiss on the cheek for coming up with this simple deliciousness.
Over time, there have come to be about a zillion ways to make this tasty
spiced tea mix with Tang. Some recipes call for sweetened tea while others use
unsweet. Some include lemonade mix, and others do not. You'll find various
amounts of sugar, and sometimes none at all. And spices range from ground
cinnamon, to cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and various combinations of them all.
But three things stand in common with all the various recipes:
- Tang
- Instant tea, and
- Spices of some kind.
Our particular recipe was handed down to me from a true Southern lady, my
sister-in-law's mom, Judy. It uses the quintessential Tang and instant tea
base, opting for instant tea with lemon instead of using lemonade mix to get
its touch of lemon flavor. It's spiced just right with a combination of
ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
What's to Love About This Recipe?
- SUPER easy to make - Simply stir together 6 powdered ingredients, that's it.
- Fabulous flavor - The flavors of orange, tea, lemon, and spices are amazing together, indeed.
- Warm comfort in a mug - A comforting warm-up on chilly days, for sure.
- An excellent gift from the kitchen - Spoon into Mason jars, tie on a ribbon, and you've got one very tasty and welcomed holiday gift from the kitchen.
Instant Russian Tea Mix Ingredients:
It takes just 6 ingredients to create this tasty tea. To stir up a batch,
you'll need:
- Tang - Classic Tang orange drink mix serves as the base, creating the tea's signature orange color and flavor.
- Instant sweetened iced tea mix with lemon - This is the stuff that comes in a big canister, and provides the "tea" part of this Russian tea mix. Look for it in the coffee and tea section of the grocery store.
- Granulated sugar - A bit of granulated sugar amps up the sweetness of the Tang and tea mix.
- Ground cinnamon - A classic spice of this tasty tea.
- Ground cloves - Brings bold warm spice flavor to the mix.
- Ground allspice - Rounds out this flavorful tea's spice blend.
How to Make Instant Russian Tea Mix:
Making a batch of this spiced instant Russian Tea Mix truly couldn't
be any easier. In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients until
they're well combined. That's all there is to it!
Then store the mixture in an airtight container.
When you want to enjoy a mug full, spoon about a heaping 2
tablespoons of the dry mix into a mug for every 1 cup of boiling
water you plan to use.
Add boiling water and
stir to fully dissolve the mix.
Re-stir as needed while you enjoy your mugful, as the spices do
settle to the bottom as the tea sits.
Want to give Russian Tea Mix as a gift? -- Well, we think that's a
fabulous idea.
Spoon the mix into Mason jars, cute canisters, or any other container
you wish, tie with a ribbon if you'd like, and you're good to go with a
perfect little gift from the kitchen.
Recipe FAQs:
- Why is Russian Tea Mix called "Russian" Tea? - Instant Russian Tea Mix is said to be loosely based on the black tea with lemon and sugar beverage that was the mainstay of upper-class Russian society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It's believed this is where its name came from.
- I like my Russian Tea Mix sweeter (or less sweet ... or with more lemon flavor ... or less spiced ... or more spiced). Can I change the ingredient amounts? - Yes, of course you can change up the ingredient amounts. One of the beauties of this Instant Russian Tea Mix recipe is how flexible and easy to tweak it is. Adjust any of the ingredients to suit your personal taste. Want it sweeter? -- Add more sugar. Want it less sweet? -- Reduce the sugar amount. Want a stronger flavor of cloves? -- Put more in.
- Can I make sugar-free Instant Russian Tea Mix? - Well, you probably could make a sugar-free version of Russian Tea Mix, but we're not sure of the ingredient amounts to use to do it. Play around with Zero Sugar Tang, unsweetened iced tea mix, and Splenda or another sugar substitute to see what happens!
- How long will Instant Russian Tea Mix keep? - When stored in an airtight container, Instant Russian Tea Mix will keep for a good long time, for up to about a year. Do keep moisture out of the mix, however, or it will clump.
Check out these other favorite family-friendly drinks:
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to have you back soon!
Yield: about 4 cups mix
Instant Russian Tea Mix
Also called Instant Spiced Tea, Instant Russian Tea Mix is a vintage
Southern favorite. With its warm spice flavors and orange Tang base,
it's a Southern Christmas staple -- whether it be sipping mug-fulls
around the Christmas tree, or packing up portions in Mason jars as the
perfect gift from the kitchen.
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Ingredients
- 1 (20 oz.) jar Tang orange drink mix
- 1 c. instant sweetened iced tea mix with lemon
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together until well combined.
- Store in an airtight container.
To prepare a mugful:
- Spoon a heaping 2 tablespoons dry mix into a mug for every 1 cup of boiling water.
- Stir to dissolve.
- Re-stir as needed while you enjoy your mugful, as the spices will settle to the bottom.
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