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The day after Christmas!!! How was it?!?! I hope it was relaxing, fun, filled with love, laughter, and a little bit of magic.
As a recipe blogger I ask myself, what do I even post the day after Christmas? I asked myself the same thing the day after Thanksgiving. There is only one answer to that: coconut whiskey chai latte.
BECAUSE we need a cozy alcohol-y drink for New Year’s Eve, right?!
Okay so this isn’t your typical bubbly champagne drink or sparkling wine drink you think of with New Year’s Eve. If you need something like that try my pear mimosa or my coconut bellini – super yum and super festive.
But this whiskey chai latte is really for the stay-at-home-curl-up-on-the-couch-count-down-the-new-year’s-with-your-husband-drink-up-then-go-to-bed kind of NYE celebrators. Because hello, cozy, warm, and indulgent. Although, if you wanted to serve this at a party or enjoy it with a few friends then totally go for it. You do you!
And BTW we weren’t always a sit-on-the-couch to celebrate NYE married couple – there was one year we drank a beer from each area around the world all day long, it started at 11am. Well I didn’t because I had to work…but Paul did and everyone was practically dead when I got off work at 11pm ha!
TBH I don’t even know what we’re doing for New Year’s eve this year. Sometimes it’s hang out with friends and go to bed at 12:30am and sometimes it’s come home and hang out on the couch lol. Anyone else with me on the couch thing?!
Anyways, you could really enjoy this whiskey chai latte anytime during the winter or fall season. I mean does it even get much better than spiced chai tea steeped in rich coconut milk that is sweetened with coconut sugar and lightly frothed, all of that with a little whiskey stirred in? Comforting, indulgent adult beverage to the max right there.
All of those warming chai spices. cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, a little black pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla + warm whiskey + sweetened, frothy coconut milk = the ultimate way to wind down the day.
The best part is to make the recipe we used a bagged chai tea instead of needing to have ALL of the spices on hand, it’s all in that one handy tea bag. The best bagged chai tea I have found is Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings. I love it straight up on its’ own. It also works well for this coconut whiskey chai latte, super strong chai flavor so it doesn’t get drowned by the milk and the whiskey.
The idea for this coconut whiskey chai latte all came about when we were in Arizona back in May. Everyone there recommended that we go get this whiskey chai latte at this one bar. It was a rainy, cold day – perfect whiskey chai latte weather btw – so we stopped in. It was perfection in a mug. We both fell in love and I knew that I had re-create it here on the blog.
It took me several tries with several different dairy free milks because I don’t love cow’s milk before I got it right. (Info about different milks in the notes of the recipe). It was a tough job drinking all of those whiskey chai lattes but someone had to do it for the sake of cozy winter time adult dessert beverages. Yes, for me this was my dessert for those few days, and I was okay with that (lol).
Now Emily, whiskey isn’t gluten free, and isn’t this a gluten free blog?
And to that I say, you’re right. And yes.
BUT I LOVE WHISKEY SO MUCH!!! I’m a Jameson girl through and through – I blame my semester abroad in Ireland for that one! Here’s the thing, if you want to keep this gluten free I have 100% confidence that you could swap the whiskey for a little spiced rum. MMMM spiced rum, it is a close second to whiskey for me…and with those similar spices to the chai tea (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) it will probably be an even better choice to help bring out those chai flavors.
Someone please make it with spiced rum and let me know how you like it!
The rum version is totally happening next time I make this drink!
Now go, put on your coziest stretchy pants, start a fire (or turn on Netflix’s fire ha!) make this coconut whiskey chai latte and be all warm and relaxed. You deserve it friends!
I hope everyone has a fabulous New Year’s Eve. And if you are more eventful than we tend to be, go you, have fun and enjoy yourself. If you’re like us and sometimes end up on the couch for New Year’s Eve, it’s okay friend, you don’t always have to have a big party and drink a lot to celebrate the New Year. No matter what you do, enjoy yourself and bring on 2018 with love and open arms! š
Okay friends, I am taking a short break from publishing recipes in the beginning of 2018. It wasn’t my original plan but it sort of flowed that way and I realized that it was time for a break. Thank you so much for being here and reading this blog and making and sharing my recipes! I hope everyone has a great start to their 2018! See you soon :)!
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Coconut Whiskey Chai Latte
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink, Cocktail
- Cuisine: Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
Description
Coconut chai latte meets whiskey. A warming, indulgent cocktail that’s the perfect way to cozy up and wind down during the fall or winter. It’s got all the warming chai spices. cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves. (As a gluten free option you can swap the whiskey for spiced rum! yum!)
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk*
- 1 tea bag of chai tea (I LOVE Bengal spice from Celestial seasonings)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or more to taste)
- 1 to 2 ounces whiskey**
Instructions
- Brew tea: Heat up milk in the microwave or in a small sauce pot until just about to boil. I really like to use a liquid measuring cup to heat the milk in and froth it in. Place the tea into the milk. Allow it to steep for 5 to 8 minutes. Squeeze out the tea bag and discard. Stir in the coconut sugar.
- Prepare your mug: Add the whiskey (or spiced rum) to your mug, set aside. Reheat the milk a little to bring it back up to a very warm temperature, if needed. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the warm milk into the mug with the whiskey, leaving 1/2 cup milk behind in the measuring cup.
- Froth the milk: Using amilk frothing wandfroth the milk for about 2 minutes until there is a nice layer of foam. If you have a milk steamer you could also use that. OR add the hot milk to a mason jar, secure the lid and shake for 2 minutes. The main goal is to incorperate some air into the milk.
- Add the froth: Pour the remainder of the milk into the mug, carefully allowing the foam to sit on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
*I tested this recipe several times using a few different types of dairy free milks. I found the best results for the most foamy texture was by using full fat coconut milk. I did find the second best results with half full fat coconut milk and half almond milk.
If you aren’t dairy free you could use 2% cow’s milk or whole milk. They will froth better because they contain no water whereas the almond milk contains water.
I have not tried this recipe with a steamer, but I imagine that you would get the foamiest drink from using a steamer. Let me know if you try it.
**Whiskey is not gluten free. However, I am fully confident this recipe would also be just as good using spiced rum. I mean spiced rum has the same flavors as the chai tea, it’s gotta be good! Let me know ! š
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