Over-Steeped Tea Recipe

Updated Jan 15, 2024

A few drops of this over-steeped tea will simulate the drying sensation of alcohol in your next mocktail.

This simple homemade ingredient is an easy and cost-effective way to add bitterness to and help simulate the drying sensation of alcohol in your next kombucha mocktail.

Why USe over-steeped tea?

Ethanol, the major component liquor, is astringent which leads to a “drying” effect of the mouth when you drink it. This is caused by the alcohol (ethanol) interfering with the mucus on the tongue which leads to a dry-mouth sensation. The astringency of alcohol draws water out of the cells of the tongue where tannins, bind with the proteins that make mucus feel “wet,” which then makes your tongue feel more dry.

The astringency caused by alcohol is difficult to replicate due to the unique properties of alcohol. The best option for home cooks that I have found is over-steeped black tea, since tea contains naturally-occurring tannins that reasonably replicate the astringency of alcohol.

This astringency of tea comes from the tannins it contains. These are the same tannins in wine, which also give wine a dry, astringent flavor.

In addition to astringency, over-steeped tea can add a decent amount of bitterness to a drink. To make over-steeped tea, use twice as many teabags as you would normally use and simmer the tea for 10 minutes

Read more about the science of making great mocktails.

What is Astringency?

Astringency is a term used for for food and drinks and refers to the “puckering” or drying sensation created on the surface of the tongue. Astringency is caused by tannins, which are naturally occurring in tea, coffee, red wine, and many fruits and herbs. Black teas are higher in tannins than other tea types due to the way they are processed and are thus more astringent. However, green and other teas also be astringent. To encounter astringency, try chewing a red grape skin or touching the edge of a banana peel to your tongue. Red grapes (and therefore also red wine, contain tannins and are astringent)

Other Homemade Tinctures & Extracts

Here are some other tinctures and extracts that you can make at home to enhance your next mocktail:

Ginger Simple Syrup: A cooked ginger syrup which increases the burn level of the spice compounds in ginger

Habanero Tincture: Ideal for simulating the “burn” of ethanol in non-alcoholic drinks

Spruce Tip Extract: Infuses drinks with fresh evergreen botanicals yielding gin-like notes

Ingredients For Over-steeped tea

Black tea: Black tea leaves have been oxidized for the longest time during curing (longer than green or oolong teas.) Black teas tend to be very high in tannins, while oolongs have less, and green and white teas have almost no tannins.

Water: Regular tap water or filtered water. Nothing fancy here.