Nothing is better than a good martini, except this classy sweet tea martini made with southern sweet tea flavor and gin! Let's get into how to make it in only five minutes with just five simple ingredients.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my sweet tea margarita, too!
Jump to:
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy - Just five minutes and zero fuss! This sweet tea cocktail recipe is beginner friendly.
Familiar Flavor - The sweet tea syrup martini is smooth and sweet but not too sweet because it's balanced with citrus! It's like sipping an ice cold glass of tea on your porch with a lil' sum extra (alcohol).
I'm something like a martini aficionado so I have plenty of amazing martini drinks around here like my ever popular matcha martini and hibiscus martini. There's also the creamy chai tea martini, nutty pistachio amaretto martini or pretty blood orange martini. And don't sleep on the pickle juice martini!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Gin or Vodka depending on your preference. I am personally a gin martini kind girl but you can certainly make a sweet tea vodka martini and be good.
Orange Liqueur in place of vermouth helps round out the flavor profile so that the tea-tini isn't cloyingly sweet. Use your favorite brand like Triple Sec or Cointreau or even Grand Marnier if you want to get fancy and extra boozy!
Sweet Tea Simple Syrup is the flavor secret to this libation! Use my homemade tea syrup for the best flavor and beautiful golden color.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Citrus - We use fresh lemon juice in this sweet tea cocktail and garnish with a lemon twist but you can substitute with lime or sour orange for similar flavor. You can also use concentrated lemon juice if fresh is not available.
How to Make a Sweet Tea Martini at Home
Step One: Place a martini glass in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
Step Two: Thread a stem of fresh mint through a twisted lemon slice then secure it on a pick.
Step Three: Shake up all the ingredients over ice then strain into the chilled glass.
Step Four: Add the lemon and mint garnish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! This makes a great freezer door flavored martini. Mix, strain, and store it in the refrigerator or freezer then give it a good shake or stir before serving. Save the garnish until just before serving.
For pitcher sweet tea martinis, add six ounces gin, four ounces orange liqueur, four ounces sweet tea syrup, and three ounces lemon juice to a pitcher over ice and stir. Serves four.
To turn this drink into shots, just divide the liquid even between three shot glasses and serve.
How to Serve
This iced tea martini is best enjoyed in a chilled stemmed cocktail glass like a martini glass or a coupe glass. Chilling the glass gives it a nice frosty appearance but also helps keep the drink a little colder since it isn't served with ice.
You can garnish this drink with a twist of lemon and fresh mint, which are nods to common add-ins for southern sweet tea or iced tea. These are optional flavor-wise but they do look great and greet the nose with a bit of fresh aroma each time you sip the beverage!
More Sweet Tea Cocktails
I hope you'll enjoy this martini with tea, aka "marteani" soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
The Sweet Tea Martini (Sweet Tea-ni)
Equipment
- 1 martini glass or coupe glass
- 1 jigger or shot glass
Ingredients
- ice
- 1 ½ ounce gin or vodka
- 1 ounce sweet tea syrup
- ¾ ounce lemon juice from about half a lemon
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- lemon and fresh mint optional garnish
Instructions
- Place martini glass in refrigerator or freezer to chill.
- Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice then pour in gin, syrup, lemon juice, and orange liqueur.
- Cover cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until chilled to the touch (about eight seconds).
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon and mint, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy responsibly!
Notes
-
Dissolve 1 ½ cup sugar in one cup of water in a saucepan over medium high heat.
-
Add six tea bags and bring the mixture to a boil.
-
Remove pot from heat and steep the tea until syrup is cooled (about 30 minutes) then remove tea bags from syrup. Don't squeeze the bags to get extra liquid out as this releases tannins that can turn the syrup bitter! (Makes about 24 servings)
Love this recipe? Leave me a Comment!