Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail Recipe

When Brooks Reitz of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. visited Tasting Table, he shook us up a light and refreshing sweet tea cocktail, a play on a drink from his youth called The Icepick. Instead of the typical splash of vodka, Reitz laces the quintessentially Southern sweet tea cocktail with bourbon.

Frothy after a masterful shake, the drink is bright from citrus, is smooth with sweet tea syrup and finishes with a swift kick of bourbon. You won't find a better cocktail to drink on these lingering hot-weather days.

To make the sweet tea syrup, add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of simmering water and stir to dissolve. Remove from the heat and steep 1 black tea bag for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and let the syrup cool to room temperature before using.

To make the drink, fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add ¾ ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¾ ounce of black tea syrup and 1½ ounces of bourbon. Shake well and strain over a chilled coupe glass.

Garnish with a twist of lemon and serve.

Get more bourbon cocktail recipes:
- The Classic Old-Fashioned
- The Best Whiskey Sour Recipe
- Don't Wait for Derby Day to Make a Mint Julep