Green tea and beer are surprisingly complementary, both offering brisk, bitter notes that wake up the palate. For this recipe, turning Organic Green Dragon tea into a tea syrup tempers its edge and accentuates its buttery, nutty notes. When combined with a light-bodied beer, they make something truly refreshing, especially with a citrusy twist of orange peel. It’s a novel take for even the most avid beer drinkers. Stick with lighter beers like lager or pilsner; anything too hoppy or heavy will overpower the subtle notes of the tea.

Organic Green Dragon Beer Spritzer

Makes four 12-oz. Servings

Ingredients:
1 cup freshly drawn water
3 Organic Green Dragon tea pouches
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 12 oz. bottles light-bodied beer, such as lager or pilsner, chilled
16 oz. club soda, chilled
Orange peel

Make it:

1. Make the tea syrup: Bring the water to a full boil, remove from heat, and allow it to sit one minute to cool slightly. Pour the water over the tea pouches and steep 10 minutes, then remove the teabags, giving them a squeeze to release all the liquid. Add the sugar and cardamom, and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Chill the tea syrup at least 30 minutes before using.
2. Make the spritzers: Pour 2 oz. of the tea syrup into four tall, chilled glasses. Add 6 oz. of the beer and 4 oz. of the club soda to each glass. Twist the orange peels over the glasses, run them along the edge of the rims, and then drop the peels into the spritzers. Serve immediately.