Spiked Market Spice

If you have visited Pike Place Market in Seattle, then you must have been to Market Spice? If not, then you must go to Market Spice the next time you are at Pike Place Market. They make some of our favorite teas and blends, which we love so much that we even had people send their eponymous "Market Spice Tea" to us before we moved to Seattle. They were also one of the first market shops I visited during my first visit to Pike Place Market.

Market Spice Tea is their most popular blend, made with black tea, cinnamon, dried orange peel, ... you get the idea. It has a very wintry spice taste and warmth, although we have enjoyed it at all times of the year. My husband introduced me to this tea even before I first set foot in Seattle. He has been drinking it since 1992. He remembers taking it from Seattle back to college in NY, and that friends went crazy over its unique combination of flavors, hard to find in a black tea back then. Ever since, he has either taken some along wherever he went or when needed, had his family send him more. Even though we are in Seattle now, up to this day we still exchange as gifts the different blends we come across at Market Spice, especially with his brother. I'd say it's a great Market Spice tradition!

As usual, we had a ton of this tea at home and you want to have it fresh, so I decided to experiment with tea cocktails. I've also been dying to make a hot toddy, but lately have been seeing too many toddy recipes. I was compelled to do something totally different, with my own twist, so I came up with my Spiked Market Spice.

I've made these a few different ways, and feel free to experiment with them yourself. A great cocktail doesn't just happen in one shot, it takes a lot of mixing, shaking, and stirring before you come up with the recipe you will individually like. You can drink my recipe hot or cold, I tried it both ways. For the cold, once I started out cold & drank it just like that. Another time, I made it hot then chilled it, and both worked. The latter is evident in the shots where I went & stuck the glasses out in the snow we had lying around, a few weeks ago :)

I'm a little late in wishing you all a Happy New Year, but hopefully you've had plenty to celebrate, resolve, and start working on. Thank you for your continued kind words and readership, it really keeps me going :) Here's to a new and hopeful year ahead ... Cheers!

I used:
1 tablespoon Market Spice Tea
2 tablespoons local, mountain wildflower honey
2 tablespoons Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, or any citrus liquor you have handy
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup hot water (for hot version) or 1 cup cold water & some ice cubes (for cold version)
lemon slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish and stirring (I have found Market Spice also has the best long, edible cinnamon sticks in Seattle.)

My method:

For the hot Spiked Market Spice:
1. Steep the tea in 1/2 cup hot water, stir in the honey, and wait for 5-7 minutes.
2. Once the water gets some color, add the Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Grand Marnier, and the rest of the water, then stir and pour in a heatproof glass or mug. Garnish with lemon and cinnamon stick and serve. This makes a spicy, strong Spiked Market Spice. If it is too strong for you, you can always water it down with more hot water.

For the cold Spiked Market Spice:
1. Steep the tea in 1/2 cup hot water, stir in the honey, and wait for 5-7 minutes.
2. In a cold shaker, add the tea after step 1, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Grand Marnier, the rest of the water -- cold, ice cubes, and shake till fully chilled. I also tried making the cold version with vodka instead of rum, and it tasted great!
3. Pour it in your favorite cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon slices and a cinnamon stick.