Spritz and Giggles: A Sparkling Tea Serve

Some moments call for tea. Others call for bubbles. This does both.

A sparkling tea spritz takes your favourite blend and gives it a little party energy: chilled tea, plenty of ice and a lively top-up of sparkling water. Add fruit, citrus or fresh herbs if the mood takes you - or keep it beautifully simple and let the tea do the talking.

It looks impressive, requires almost no special equipment and gives you an excellent reason to use the nice glass.

Make your sparkling tea spritz

1. Brew your chosen tea strongly using 150ml of water at the temperature recommended on the pack.

2. Strain the leaves. If you’d like a sweeter spritz, stir in a little sugar or honey while the tea is still warm.

3. Leave the tea to cool completely.

4. Fill a tall glass generously with ice. Add any fruit, citrus or herbs you’re using.

5. Pour the cooled tea over the ice.

6. Top slowly with chilled sparkling water.

7. Give it one gentle stir, add your chosen garnish and serve immediately - preferably with unnecessary flourish.

Brew it bold

Ice and sparkling water both dilute the tea, so your usual brew may become a little too well behaved once everything reaches the glass.

Use more tea in less water to create a concentrated base with enough flavour to hold its own. Keep to the recommended brewing time rather than leaving the leaves in for longer, particularly with black or green tea.

Bold is good. Bitter is just showing off.

Find its perfect plus-one

Different teas invite different finishing touches, so treat the garnish as part decoration, part flavour matchmaking.

Fruity blends
Try fresh berries, orange slices or a squeeze of lime.

Green teas
Add cucumber ribbons, lime, mint or fresh basil for a cleaner, crisper serve.

Black teas and Earl Grey blends
Pair with lemon, orange or a twist of citrus peel.

Spiced teas
Try apple slices, orange peel or a cinnamon stick.

Herbal and botanical blends
Fresh herbs, cucumber and delicate citrus all work beautifully.

Start with one or two additions. This is a sparkling tea spritz, not a fruit salad experiencing an identity crisis.

Keep the sparkle

Use well-chilled sparkling water and add it last. Pour gently down the side of the glass and stir only once so the bubbles stay where they belong.

Plain sparkling water is the most versatile choice because it adds fizz without bringing extra sweetness or bitterness. It keeps the flavour of the tea at the centre of the drink - which is only polite, considering it did most of the work.

Sweeten it smoothly

Always taste the finished spritz before deciding it needs sweetness.

If you use sugar or honey, stir it into the tea while it’s still warm so it dissolves properly. If the drink is already cold, a little simple syrup will mix in more easily.

Add a small amount, taste and adjust. You’re rounding out the flavour, not turning the glass into pudding.

However you serve it, the formula stays pleasingly simple: bold tea, cold bubbles and something lovely in the glass.

Tea has officially entered its sparkling era.