This Citrusy Spiced Southern Tea Is the Perfect Winter Warmer

If you’ve ever attended a holiday party in the South, you’ve probably come across friendship tea, also called "Russian tea." A warm drink of citrus, black tea, and warm spices, friendship tea became increasingly popular in the 1960s, when multiple Southern church and community cookbooks suggested home cooks combine Tang, the orange flavored drink powder, instant black tea, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a pot and warm it on the stove. 

The first time I tried a sip of this warm holiday drink was six years ago at my (now) grandmother-in-law’s cottage, which sat nestled into a holler in the Appalachian mountains. During her annual Christmas party, I was given a mug of friendship tea. I, a recent transplant to North Carolina from California, had just started dating her grandson, who had made it his job to educate me about Southern and Appalachian cuisine.

I had tried his aunt’s famous yellow squash casserole (loved it) and his cousin’s mac and cheese (I had two helpings), and the next item on the list was Nana’s friendship tea. The drink was warm and aromatic with hints of cinnamon and cloves. The tannins of the black tea married with the sweetness of the orange juice for a drink that was both pleasantly bitter and sweet. I was instantly captivated and filled my mug up twice more. 

What’s Russian About Tang and Instant Tea?

While in Russia, strong black tea is often served with lemon, it's not clear if this is how the Southern version got its name. And while many think that the Southern tea’s most popular and basic formula—hot instant tea brightened with Tang—is connected to the Space Race of the 1960s (an opportunity to showcase the convenience foods of the Space Age) the actual origins of the citrus-infused tea go back even further in the US.

From the late 1880s to the 1950s, journals and newspapers across the states shared their own version of the warm citrus-infused black tea known as Russian Tea. In 1910 The Commoner of Lincoln, Nebraska suggested adding orange juice and lemon juice to their recipe, and in 1941 The Midland Journal, of Rising Sun, Maryland, suggested adding cinnamon and cloves. Then, in the 1960s, with the rise of Tang, the recipe’s now most popular iteration flew into orbit as housewives mixed up dry Russian tea mixes of Tang, instant tea, sugar, and spices, making it easy to prepare a single mug at a minute’s notice. These dry Russian tea mixes became popular gifts to hand to family and friends, giving the blend the nickname friendship tea. 

How to Make a Bright and Lively Friendship Tea 

Many Southerners will tell you that using Tang and instant tea is the only way to prepare friendship tea, but I (and Nana) beg to differ. This recipe includes fresh squeezed orange juice and lemon juice to add acidic brightness to the drink as well as steeped black tea bags (I prefer a strong, tannic brew like Yorkshire Tea or Twinnings) and a bit of sugar to sweeten it. Unlike versions with Tang, this homemade Russian tea feels smoother in your mouth. Additionally, the orange and lemon flavors are more pronounced, thanks to the use of fresh juice.

To ensure all of the cinnamon and cloves flavors are extracted without overboiling the tea (and causing it to get bitter), this recipe starts with boiling the water with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and sugar. This helps break down and extract the cinnamon and clove flavors. After the spices have infused, the tea bags are added to steep for a few minutes, then the tea and the spices are promptly removed to ensure the tea and spices don’t over-extract, which would turn the tea bitter and astringent. Fresh orange and lemon juice are added to the mixture and gently warmed right before serving. This ensures the fresh juice’s flavor isn’t dulled from overcooking.

Once the mixture is warmed through, ladle it into mugs garnished with slices of orange studded with a whole clove. It’s a wonderful holiday drink to sip on a cold day, and as a bonus, the scent of festive warm spices and citrus will linger in your home for hours after you make it.