Claire Bugos is a New York City-based health and science reporter and writer.

The old fashioned is a classic cocktail made with a simple formula of bourbon, bitters, sugar, and orange rind. To convert the old fashioned into a mocktail, tea works remarkably well as a substitute for bourbon. Not only does this eliminate the negative health effects of consuming alcohol, but black tea contains compounds that can boost health by neutralizing inflammation and oxidative stress.

While any black tea will do for this recipe, earl grey is a natural fit. It is essentially black tea flavored with bergamot, a citrus fruit with similar flavors to bitter orange and lemon. Accenting a small pour of earl grey with orange and sugar and serving it up in a rocks glass with a twist of orange rind leaves an elegant drink that elevates your typical iced tea.

Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil and allow it to cool for a minute. Steep the Earl Grey tea for 3 to 5 minutes. If using loose-leaf tea, strain out the leaves. Let cool and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the drink.

Add sugar and bitters to a rocks glass. Cut a slice of orange and squeeze in about 1 teaspoon of its juice—just enough to saturate the sugar.

Stir the mixture until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Fill the glass with ice. Add a quarter cup of the brewed Earl Grey tea. Stir a few times until the drink is chilled.

Remove a strip of the orange rind using a vegetable peeler. Twist the rind to release its oils over the drink, glide it over the rim of the glass, and drop it in.

Repeat steps 2-5 with the rest of the tea to make more servings of the mocktail.

By Claire Bugos Claire Bugos is a health and science reporter and writer and a 2020 National Association of Science Writers travel fellow. 

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