Drink Of The Week: Eggnog Chai

16 oz Eggnog Chai

1.5 oz Monin Chai concentrated tea (or to taste)

14.5 oz steamed eggnog (eggnog always expands when you steam it, so always use just a little less)

Mix together and enjoy! 

Now let me just tell you that I am not a big fan of Chai teas. The brand we used when I worked for campus dining was Tazo, which is a pretty weak chai. We would fill the cup a third of the way full with chai and the rest with milk and then we would steam it together - and I was just never really into how that tasted. Bleck.

But when I signed on with Sisters and they brought Monin brand chai in, I was really hesitant to jump on the chai bandwagon. But Monin is a concentrated chai tea, so it takes a lot of it to be stronger than the Tazo chai that I previously used.

Texas, the younger of the Sisters, talked me into trying a little bit of chai with my steamed soy milk. I was reluctant to admit that it wasn't terrible. So when eggnog season rolled around, I'd heard all of this hype about how eggnog chais are delicious. My plain steamed eggnog just wasn't cutting it anymore, but I don't like the taste of espresso, so I quickly negated the idea of an eggnog latte. Maybe that drink is for some of you out there, but it's definitely not for me.

Anyway, I decided to mix the chai in with my eggnog to see what happened. And it was glorious. I'm telling you, it adds just a little bit of spice to an already flavorful drink without overpowering the eggnog. It's really the best of both drinks.

And my love affair with eggnog was not always as deeply rooted as it is now. It took me about 18 years to decide that I actually liked the stuff. When I was little I couldn't even choke down one swallow. It's funny how your tastes change over the years isn't it?

So anyway, my advice would be to just take a leap of faith and try an eggnog chai before winter is over!