Winter Drink: Apple Cider Tea

I wanted to make a wintery drink for a Thanksgiving breakfast, and I also wanted it to be non-alcoholic because, well, it's breakfast. Spiced rum at 9am is still a little trashy, even if you drink it out of a Santa mug. Want a non-alcoholic alternative to spiced rum? 

I found a recipe for apple tea from Serious Eats but I'm not a huge fan of black tea, so I made some alterations to balance out the flavor. (I don't know of any good substitutes to black tea, do you?)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet cinnamon spice tea bag (or any variety of herbal, holiday spiced tea)
• 2 irish breakfast tea bags (or any variety of strong black tea)
• 2 three-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 25.4 ounce bottle sparkling apple cider
• 1 ounce fresh juice from about 2 lemons
• Garnish: additional cinnamon sticks

Preparation

Place tea bags and cinnamon sticks in a large mug of boiling water (about 2 cups, or 16 oz.) Let steep for at least 10 and up to 20 minutes. Remove tea bags and cinnamon sticks and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

When you're ready to serve the drink, combine the cider, tea, and lemon juice in a large pitcher!

Happy Thanksgiving!