Regular visitors to Cookslovak site are already familiar with Tatratea, the Slovak tea-based alcoholic drink from under the High Tatras. The Tatratea brand is relatively new, but the tradition of fortified tea drinking at the High Tatras chalets is not. It started centuries ago in the homes of hardy mountain folk, who used herbal tea laced with alcohol to cure all sorts of maladies.
Tatratea 22% Coconut is one of the fourteen flavours developed by a creative team from Karloff – Tatra Distillery in Kežmarok, a picturesque town sitting at the foot of our most spectacular mountains. The liqueur has 22% ABV (alcohol by volume) and its main ingredients are white tea, alcohol of molasses, coconut extract and water from the Tatras mountain springs.
The recipe below is for a cocktail created by Marián Beke – a bartender and owner of London’s Gibson bar. It brings together the delicate sweetness and aroma of the coconut Tatratea with a refreshing spark of Vinea.
Vinea is a grape-based soft drink invented in 1974 by Ján Farkaš – a researcher at the wine factory in Pezinok, Slovakia. The new non-alcoholic drink became a hit not only in the socialistic Czechoslovakia, but it was exported to the USA in the 1980s and marketed with the slogan ‘Elegance without alcohol’ by an American businessman with Czech origins.
Sunrays
- 40 ml Tatratea 22% Coconut
- pineapple juice
- Vinea (or other sparkling soft drink)
- popping candy or fizzy powder
- freshly squeezed juice of ½ lime
- a cherry or orange peel to garnish
Method:
- Pour the pineapple juice into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
- Dip the rim of a high glass in a little lime juice and coat with the poppy candy or the fizzy powder.
- Take out the pineapple ice cubes and build them in the glass. Squeeze the rest of the lime juice onto the ice cubes. Pour in the Tatratea and top up with the Vinea or sparkling lemonade.
- Garnish with a cherry or orange peel and serve immediately.
Watch the cocktail being prepared here.
The second book of A Taste of Slovakia series takes a deeper look into the history and culture of Tatranský čaj (Tatratea).
To sample all 14 tastes of Tatratea, contact the marketing team at https://www.karloff.sk/exkurzie for a tour of Tatra Distillery in Kežmarok. They also do them in English.
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