Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) Mocktail Recipe
Strong, spiced black tea poured over ice and softened with sweetened condensed milk, sweet and creamy with a deep amber-orange colour.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Strongly brewed Thai tea150 ml (5.1 oz)
- Sweetened condensed milk30 ml (1 oz)
- Evaporated milk20 ml (0.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Brew the Thai tea very strong and stir the sweetened condensed milk into it while it is still hot, until fully dissolved.
- Let the tea cool to room temperature.
- Fill a tall glass to the top with ice and pour the sweetened tea over it.
- Pour the evaporated milk over the surface and serve with a straw, stirring just before drinking.
Garnish
Served without garnish; a little evaporated milk poured over the top is traditional.
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced and the texture is creamy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Thickened milk with sugar already in it — it is the sweetener, so no syrup is needed. With none, add about a third of its weight in sugar to evaporated milk.
- Evaporated milk
- Milk with half its water removed and no sugar added; lighter than cream, fuller than milk. With none, half milk and half cream gives the same body.
The Story
Cha yen is the signature drink of Thailand's street stalls, where tea brewed dark and sweetened heavily with condensed milk is poured over ice to stand up to the heat. The blends sold for it are typically spiced and give the drink its familiar orange hue.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- Does a Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Milk in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.