This Flavorful Old School Cocktail Used To Be A Summer Staple In The Midwest

Imagine it's a steamy August afternoon in the Midwest in the early 1900s. It's getting pretty hot outside, and not only do you want to cool down, but perhaps host a get-together. It would have been a good occasion to serve iced tea at a picnic or tea party. Of course, there are numerous twists on a classic tea party, but when it gets hot this summer, have some fun by hosting an old school party with a signature old-fashioned tea drink.

That drink is a Hong Kong Cooler, rediscovered by the Wisconsin Historical Society in an article in the Iron County News newspaper from 1915 located within their archives. The Historical Society recreated the drink from scratch to see if the recipe was as appealing today as it was then. It uses brewed Ceylon black tea, mixed with sugar, cloves, maraschino cherries, and lemon slices, and allowed to cool. Technically, you could also make this drink with one of the black teas listed in our ranking of bottled and canned iced tea brands. The tea mixture is poured over shaved ice, then rum is added and the cooler is topped with sugar coated mint leaves. It can also be served with optional candied orange peel and pureed pineapple.

The Ceylon tea in the recipe from 1915 would have come from what is now Sri Lanka, India. According to the Wauwatosa News from 1904, Ceylon tea would have cost much less than tea from China or Japan, so it likely would have been used in a recipe for a Hong Kong Cooler. Adding pineapple, previously a luxury item only obtainable by the wealthy, would have been possible for people with even modest incomes. Pineapples had become available commercially, especially since the Dole Food Company began selling them in the 1900s. According to a newspaper ad from 1915, a can of pineapple would have cost 19 cents.

Sweet tea is an iconic drink from the southern U.S., but it likely originated in the north because of its ability to procure ice in a time before the development of refrigerators and freezers. It's made from black tea, with added sugar and lemons. Alcohol could have been added, but that would be up to the taste of the drinker. Another version of a classic regional cocktail, which in its purest form doesn't contain any tea, is the Long Island iced tea. We use black tea in our Long Island iced tea, either as brewed tea or as a syrup, in addition to the classic mix of sweet and sour mix, soda, and lemon. Keeping the numerous half-ounce splashes of alcohol, it's similar to a hot toddy and can be served hot or cold. Whichever tea cocktail you try, the Hong Kong Cooler might be the one that hits the spot as the temperature rises, and sampling this old school cocktail is a great reason to get together with your friends.