Choco-Almond Chai Tai

Tea is one of those things that I always think I might enjoy, but I just don't.  Other than super sweet pre-packaged iced tea, it really does nothing for me.

But my mom loved tea, and it always smelled delicious when she made it, so every now & again I would decide to give it another try.

And no matter what flavor it was, it always tasted the same- yucky.

I even tried adding honey... or sugar... or milk and honey... or milk and sugar... and it was still just not good.

So I eventually threw in the towel and decided tea is just not for me.

Which has basically been my tea status for the past few years, until I recently received a free sample of some Chai Tea from this new place in the mall called Teavana.

Holy smokes.  It wasn't yucky.

It was awesome.

And let me tell you something.  It takes a lot to get my attention away from certain menu items at a Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks (like coconut iced coffee and vanilla lattes).

But since I entered Teavana, I have occasionally exchanged my morning iced coffee for an Iced Chai Latte.

!!

(I know.  I thought I might walk out of Starbucks and see a pig fly by, but there were none to be found.)

Then yesterday, I entered this other new place called Walvana.

Well actually I think its just called "Super Walmart," but to a bargain-lover like myself this is basically the highest level of enlightenment one could hope to attain.

The best part is that I didn't realize that they turned a nearby Walmart into a Super Walmart (with a full grocery section in addition to their usual goods) until yesterday.  This is our first conversion to Walvana in the area - and this is not my usual go-to location - so the renovations were unbeknownst to me until I walked into the store and was greeted by scent of freshly baked bread and the sight of a veritable sea of produce.

The people behind me must have thought I was a lunatic.  I walked in, stopped dead in my tracks with my mouth hanging open (and maybe even some drool trickling down) and then abruptly went back out the entrance.

I got so excited I ran back out to get myself a cart (not a basket, but at cart) and the irony is I ended up forgetting what I was I originally went there for.  But I got some neat stuff, including this Tazo Chai Latte Concentrate - which I believe Starbucks uses for their Chai Lattes!

Oh my goodness, I'm getting giddy just recounting the story.  Good thing Mr. V's not home, this could get embarrassing!

So today we had Rum Day Part Deux at the beach, and in the midst of all this "excitement," I was trying to think of what type of rum cocktail to bring.

Mr. V had an idea to bring a New Orleans drink called a Hand Grenade, which he says is delicious.  So we looked up the ingredients, and saw that it has a mix of rum, gin, vodka, grain alcohol and melon liquor.

In other words... Pure Alcohol Drink of Death.

Which I guess is fine when you are a 20 year-old frat boy like he was the last time he drank this concoction.  But considering the point of Rum Day is to try a myriad of drinks over the course of several hours, this might have had us all in the E.R. by noon.

So until yesterday, I fully planned on making another fruity cocktail like I did for the original Rum Day a couple months ago.  But after perusing some recipe ideas for rum cocktails online, nothing was really tickling my fancy.

Then I got an idea.

Chai tea is spiced.  They make rum that's spiced.  Why not combine chai and rum?

So I did some experimentation.  I made one batch with:

• 1 C. of the chai concentrate
• 1 C. of milk
• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. Malibu rum
• 1 oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream

(This is the recipe I actually took to the beach, because after the Hand Grenade shutdown I let Mr. V pick the one he liked better.) 

The below recipe tastes similar, but it doesn't have coconut rum and it uses chocolate almond milk instead of regular milk.  (You could also use regular chocolate milk if you prefer, it doesn't have to come from almonds.)

This version was my favorite because I think you can taste the spices more in this recipe and I also like the hint of chocolate. It's also a little sweeter.

Although Mr. V will almost always pick vanilla over chocolate, and I'm the exact opposite, so go with whichever one you like :)  I promise you can't go wrong with either!

As my dad so nicely put it "You could probably mix bacon grease with rum and someone will drink it."

Enough said.

Choco Almond Chai Tai

• 1 C. Tazo Chai Latte concentrate
• 1 C. chocolate almond milk
• 3 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. Bailey's Irish cream

Blend in a pitcher or shaker, serve over ice.
 
Original Recipe