Growing up, I used to really hate tea. This may in part be due to the fact that I had to prepare copious amounts of it for any elderly guests who would come visiting the house.

I, therefore, came to associate tea with old people, and could thus not drink it, even if I had warts and it was the miracle cure.

It was for old people, and I was the poster child for youth. The funny thing is that age tends to be relative to how young you are.

At 10, a 20-year-old with a cup of tea is a very old human who should be married with two children.

Time tends to iron out this distorted view of age, and tea, which is why I find it so interesting that humans still count themselves as failures based on the wants and goals of their younger selves who did not know much to begin with.

I have met people floored and crying that they are not happily married, with their own house and a car at the ripe old age of 25 as they had dreamt at 15.

What did the 15-year-old know about taxes, the Nairobi high standards of living and the Nairobi community husbands that they could never have fully imagined in their colourful lying ways?

So they drown their tears in a cup of tea, probably spiked with whisky. This over time grows into a full blown love affair – with tea, not the lying community husbands – and they finally understand why their older counterparts so loved tea.

Life is hard, a good cup of tea makes it bearable. A boozy cup of tea makes it worthwhile. I know that now, and willingly prepare copious amounts of tea for myself whenever I can.

So, here are three boozy tea recipes that will help you enjoy the joyful moments more and help you coast through the bad ones as well.

1. TEA MIMOSAS

Ingredients

• 30ml vodka

• 30ml pomegranate juice

• 30ml black currant juice

• A bottle of chilled prosecco

• 1 cup water

• 2 tea bags

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 wedge lemon

• Some ice cubes

• Brown sugar for the rim

Method

a) In a small sauce pan pour the water, tea bags and half a cup of sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Put off the heat and allow to cool. Remove the tea bags once the solution is cooled.

b) Swipe a lemon wedge around the top of your champagne glass and then immediately press the glass into the brown sugar. Let the sugar rim dry. Put a few ice cubes in the champagne glass.

c) In a cocktail shaker full of ice add the vodka, pomegranate juice, black currant juice and tea. Shake and pour over the ice in the champagne glass and then top off with chilled prosecco. 

d) Serve.

2. WHISKEY TEA

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup milk

• 1/3 cup sweetened black tea

• 60ml whiskey

• Cinnamon stick or orange slices for garnish

Method

a) Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. 

b) Put some ice and orange slices in a glass then strain out the cocktail into the tumbler. Garnish with a cinnamon stick if you wish. 

c) Enjoy!

3. RUM AND TEA

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of rum 

• 2 teaspoons of honey 

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 cup of hot water

• 2 tea bags

• a slice of lemon 

Method

a) Let the tea bags steep in a cup of hot water then sweeten with honey.

b) Pour the tea into a serving glass, add the rum, lemon slice and stir with the cinnamon stick.

c) Imbibe away!