When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes around, many of us think of mooncakes, lanterns, and the legendary stories of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit. For the Chinese, it’s the perfect time to enjoy sweet mooncakes with a cup of tea, sparkling water, and the full moon under a sky full of stars.
But for some, sticking to tradition all the time can get a little boring, isn’t it? Especially if you’re more into cold tea, sparkling water, bubble tea, or maybe even something a bit stronger, like an alcoholic drink.
A More Sparkly and Interesting Festive Time
Here at SodaStream, we want to help you have a better, more sparkly and interesting Mid-Autumn with drinks that you can treat yourself and your family & friends to – not to mention have something worth talking about at lunch at your workplace or school!
After all, sparkling water benefits are plenty. To spruce up this festive season, we are sharing with you 6 recipes to play around with.
To turn your usual favorite teas into non-alcoholic Sparkling Artisanal Teas, here are some recipe recommendations for the Sparkling Oolong Tea, Sparkling Green Tea and Sparkling Pu-erh Tea.
1. Sparkling Oolong Tea
Flavour Profile: Rich, smooth, slightly floral flavor
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp loose-leaf oolong tea (or 2 tea bags)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
- 1 SodaStream bottle filled with cold water
- Some ice cubes
- Lemon slices or fresh mint (optional garnish)
Preparation
Step 1: Brew the Tea
- Steep oolong tea in 190°F (88°C) water for 4-6 minutes, then let it cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Sweeten the Tea
- Add honey (optional) to warm tea and stir until dissolved.
Step 3: Carbonate Water
- Carbonate the bottle of cold water using SodaStream sparkling water maker.
Step 4: Mix & Serve
- Fill a glass with ice, pour in tea, then slowly add sparkling water (50/50 ratio), then adjust the ratio from there according to your preference
Step 5: Serve
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Garnish with lemon / mint.
2. Sparkling Green Tea
Flavour Profile: Light, fresh flavor; delicate steeping
Ingredients
- 2 tsp loose-leaf green tea (or 2 tea bags)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
- 1 SodaStream bottle filled with cold water
- Some ice cubes
- Lemon slices or fresh mint (optional garnish)
Preparation
Step 1: Brew the Tea
- Steep green tea in 175°F (80°C) water for 2-3 minutes, then let it cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Sweeten the Tea
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Add honey (optional) to warm tea and stir until dissolved.
Step 3: Carbonate Water
- Carbonate the bottle of cold water using SodaStream sparkling water maker.
Step 4: Mix & Serve
- Fill a glass with ice, pour in tea, then slowly add sparkling water (50/50 ratio), then adjust the ratio from there according to your preference
Step 5: Serve
- Garnish with lemon / mint.
3. Sparkling Pu-erh Tea
Flavour Profile: Earthy, bold flavor; requires tea rinse
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp loose-leaf Pu-erh tea (or 1 tea bag)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
- 1 SodaStream bottle filled with cold water
- Some ice cubes
- Lemon slices, mint, or cinnamon stick (optional)
Preparation
Step 1: Brew the Tea
- Rinse Pu-erh tea with hot water briefly, then steep in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, cool to room temp.
Step 2: Sweeten the Tea
- Add honey (optional) to warm tea and stir until dissolved.
Step 3: Carbonate Water
- Carbonate the bottle of cold water using SodaStream sparkling water maker.
Step 4: Mix & Serve
- Fill a glass with ice, pour in tea, then slowly add sparkling water (50/50 ratio), then adjust the ratio from there according to your preference.
Step 5: Serve
- Garnish with lemon / mint / cinnamon.
And if you’d like to tune up your Mid-Autumn experience with more alcoholic sparkling beverage options, here are our top recommendations: The Screwdriver Cocktail, Mojito and the Long Island Iced Tea Cocktail and their recipes.
4. Screwdriver Cocktail
Ingredients
Preparation
- Mix vodka and orange juice.
- Top with carbonated water.
- Stir and garnish.
You can adjust the ratios of vodka, orange juice, and carbonated water to taste.
5. Mojito
Ingredients
- 2 oz (60 ml) of white rum as base alcohol
- 1 oz (30 ml) of fresh lime juice as main mixer
- 2 teaspoons of sugar or simple syrup for taste
- 8-10 fresh mint leaves as additional mixers
- 2-3 oz (60-90 ml) of SodaStream carbonated water to top it off
- Ice cubes to fill the glass
- Lime slice and mint sprig for garnish
Preparation
- Muddle mint, sugar, and lime juice.
- Add rum and ice.
- Top with carbonated water.
- Garnish with lime and mint.
Then adjust the sweetness to taste.
6. Long Island Iced Tea Cocktail
Ingredients
- Base alcohol: 0.5 oz (15 ml) of vodka, 0.5 oz (15 ml) of gin, 0.5 oz (15 ml) of white rum, 0.5 oz (15 ml) of tequila, and 0.5 oz (15 ml) of triple sec
- Main mixers: 0.75 oz (22 ml) of fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz (15 ml) of simple syrup
- 1-2 oz (30-60 ml) of SodaStream carbonated water or cola for variation, to top it off
- Ice cubes to fill the glass
- Lemon wedge as garnish
Preparation
1. Shake vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
2. Pour over ice and top with carbonated water.
3. Garnish with lemon wedge.
Now, with so much talk about sparkling water, it begs the question:
Is sparkling water good for health?
The answer is that there is no indication that carbonated or sparkling water is harmful to your health. It poses minimal risk to dental health and appears to have no impact on bone health. In fact, drinking beverages with sparkling water may actually aid digestion by improving your swallowing ability and relieving constipation!
Post-Mid Autumn Sparkle
Here’s one last secret: Even well after the sugar pump (from the mooncakes) following the Mid-Autumn festival, these are drinks that you can still enjoy - especially if you’re looking to reduce your sugar intake while hanging out with your associates and friends ;)
Stay tuned for more!
Sources:
- Beerbeforebadgers on Reddit. (2021, March 5). Anyone else make sparkling tea cold brew oolong? [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/comments/mf5qpv/anyone_else_make_sparkling_tea_cold_brew_oolong/?rdt=53279
- Aite, K. (Director). (2020, July 10). How to make sparkling iced tea [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmQfIM0fAMk
- The Loose Tea Blog. (2021, August 2). How to make tea sodas. The Loose Tea Blog.
- Cleveland Clinic. (2023, March 27). Is sparkling water healthy? Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-sparkling-water-healthy
- The Loose Tea Blog. (n.d.). How to make tea sodas. https://thelooseteablog.com/make-tea-sodas
- SodaStream Singapore. (2023, February 1). How to make sparkling mojito cocktail with SodaStream Singapore. SodaStream Singapore. https://sodastream.sg/blogs/drink-recipes/how-to-make-sparkling-mojito-cocktail-with-sodastream-singapore
- Kim C Market. (n.d.). Sparkling tea classic roasted oolong. Kim C Market. https://kimcmarket.com/products/sparkling-tea-classic-roasted-oolon
- Hallmark Ideas. (n.d.). Green tea soda recipe. Hallmark. https://ideas.hallmark.com/recipes/drink-recipes/green-tea-soda-recipe
- Food & Wine. (n.d.). Pu-erh tea digestif. Food & Wine. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pu-erh-tea-digesti
- SodaStream Singapore. (n.d.). Screwdriver cocktail. SodaStream. https://sodastream.sg/blogs/drink-recipes/screwdriver-cocktail
- SodaStream Singapore. (n.d.). How to make sparkling mojito cocktail with SodaStream Singapore. SodaStream. https://sodastream.sg/blogs/drink-recipes/how-to-make-sparkling-mojito-cocktail-with-sodastream-singapore
- Barnes Bernhardt, J. (n.d.). Long Island iced tea recipe. Jessie Barnes Bernhardt. https://jessiebarnesbernhardt.com/blog/long-island-iced-tea-recipe
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SodaStream. (n.d.). Carbonated beverages. SodaStream. https://sodastream.com/blogs/sodastreams-sparkling-blog/carbonated-beverages
