I took my time cracking the seal on the Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka that showed up in my office a few weeks back. Very little about the combination of tea and booze appealed to me, mostly because it reminded me of dire moments in my tailgating youth—those desperate days when all that remained in the back of the Suburban was warm Snapple and a handle of isopropyl-flavored clear liquor with a pseudo-Cyrillic label.
When I finally took the Firefly plunge, I blended one part Sweet Tea Vodka and one part lemonade with ample amounts of muddled mint, and I was pleasantly surprised. The amber liquor, made by a boutique distillery in Wadmalaw Island, S.C., bears an astonishing likeness to iced tea, bringing a non-cloying sweetness and a subtle tannin tang to the smooth cocktail. The refreshing blend of lemon, tea and mint would be enormously quaffable on a hot Southern day, with, say, an equestrian event unfolding in the middle distance.
So while I had my reservations, I am drinking my words now. And I’m sure I’ll be sipping them again next time porch weather rolls around. Meanwhile, let’s get this drink a catchy name—something more original than Ice Pick, which refers to a recipe of tea, lemon and vodka.
A few thoughts from the Scene tasters: Boozy Arnold Palmer, Sweet Tooth, Sweet Teeth, Sweet Teaf, Fire & Iced or Bar Fly. I like the name Tip of the Spear, because it blends references to both P.G. Tips tea and spearmint, though if you have to explain it, it’s probably not actually a great name. Any other ideas?
