3 Easy Cocktails with Owl's Brew

We're getting creative during cocktail hour these days thanks to a freshly-arrived collection of tea-based mixers. Handmade in small batches in New York, Owl's Brew blends offer unique flavor combinations of tea varieties, fruit juices, and spices. The drink possibilities are endless, but abundant inspiration can be found in Wise Cocktails, the companion volume of recipes from co-founders Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield. We recently caught up with Jennie to learn more about these unique additions to the bar.

Jennie says, "Owl’s Brew was founded in 2013 by two tea-loving boozers (always in moderation)-- myself and Maria. We branched off from our sister company, Brew Lab Tea, which makes customized, artisanal tea programs for restuarants and coffee shops. Owl's Brew started when we saw the need for a delicious, fresh, and light cocktail ingredient to enjoy at home-- we weren't satisfied with the regular ol' vodka-cranberry! We immediately turned to our beverage of choice, and began experimenting with different teas and how they could pair with spirits.

"At Owl's Brew, we find inspriation for new flavors through our own tea brewing and blending. We originally launched with three flavors-- The Classic, Pink & Black, and Coco-Lada, for which you'll find cocktail recipes below. Today, we also offer White and Vine, our first brew to use white tea. Soon, we'll be launching Wicked Green-- a blend of green tea, lemon, lime and habanero. It's our first spicy brew, and the first to use green tea!"

Below, Jennie and Maria share a trio of super-simple, two-ingredient cocktails featuring Owl's Brew mixers. We can't wait to toast with tea at gatherings all season long.

Hootenanny
"We always love bourbon, but it's especially perfect during the colder months! You can enjoy this cocktail chilled or warmed up for a toddy-style drink."

2 parts The Classic
1 part bourbon
Shake ingredients with ice, strain and pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice.  

Wise Choice
"There’s something about the peppery quality in tequila that goes so well with this brew. It’s robust enough to provide a lot of oomph, but light enough that the fresh strawberry flavor comes through."

2 parts Pink & Black
1 part tequila
Shake ingredients with ice, strain and pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice.  Garnish with a lemon wedge. 

Coco-Brew
"Beer cocktails are some of our favorite cocktails! We’re going to enjoy stout while it’s still cold enough to do so." 

4 oz. Coco-Lada (chilled)
4 oz. stout beer (chilled)
In a glass, pour in the Coco-Lada. Top with the beer and gently swirl.

Photos via Wise Cocktails by Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield. Photographs by Tina Rupp. 2015, Rodale