Creamy Spiced Chai Cocktail

This warming Chai Cocktail is made with a spicy homemade chai syrup, rum or bourbon, and an egg. It’s a rich and creamy cocktail that’s perfect for sipping throughout the fall and winter! 

Cocktail Tools I Recommend 

You can easily build this cocktail in a large jar fitted with a lid, but if you like making cocktails at home then these tools will come in handy! 

• Cocktail Shaker — The liquor, egg, and chai syrup are shaken vigorously to build the foam. 
• Cocktail Strainer — If your shaker didn’t come fitted with a strainer, I suggest buying one separately. 
• Jigger — For accurate measuring. 
• Coupe Glass — The traditional choice for serving flip cocktails like this chai version. You can use any glass, though! 

How to Make a Chai Cocktail at Home 

This recipe makes 1 cocktail as written, but you can easily scale it up to make two or more drinks at once. Here are the basic steps for making an iced chai cocktail. 

Step 1: Shake to Build Foam 

Measure the following into a cocktail shaker and then shake vigorously to build the foam: 

• Rum, bourbon, or whiskey — We love anything from Basil Hayden, Breckenridge Bourbon, Four Roses Bourbon, and Laws Whiskey House.
• Chai Syrup — My homemade chai syrup takes 20 minutes to make and lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge. You can also use a quality store-bought chai tea syrup if desired. 
• Egg — This is an essential ingredient and is what gives the cocktail a smooth, creamy, almost custard-like texture. If using a raw egg freaks you out, buy pasteurized eggs at the store (they’re totally safe to eat raw!) or pasteurize your own eggs at home. 
• Heavy Cream or Half and Half (Optional) — This makes this cocktail super rich and takes it more into chai latte territory. 

Step 2: Add Ice, Then Shake Again

The trick here is to keep shaking the chai mixture until the shaker feels super cold. 

Step 3: Strain Into a Glass

Don’t strain the cocktail over ice or else your drink will get watered down. I like to garnish my chai tea cocktail with a sprinkling of chai spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg for an extra boost of spiced flavor. 

Make-Ahead Tips

If you’re planning to make this spicy chai cocktail for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any special evening in between, I suggest waiting until you’re ready to serve to shake it up and strain. 

Since this is a flip cocktail that contains raw egg, it needs to be freshly shaken to build the right amount of foam and creaminess. 

However, you CAN make the chai syrup up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in the refrigerator in the meantime. (It’s also great for making hot gingerbread chai lattes and pumpkin chai lattes, just saying!).