Hoogly Blogs / Nordic lifestyle

A Hoogly Cocktail

A Hoogly Cocktail

Hello all! Maybe we all spoke too soon. The past few weeks have finally brought along some of that promised weather we have all waited so patiently for! Long may it last. 

Since this trundle towards summer, I have been spending a lot more of my evenings outside. The beach here in Brighton is so close that really there is no excuse to not pop down on your bike and watch all the brave people swimming. The parks are looking so lovely as well, and it’s too easy to stray off the path at Preston and amble through the walled garden there. There is nothing I like more in these moments then to watch the sun slowly set with a gin and tonic or a mojito in hand. Unless I crack open a can, it is my own garden that beckons me for this particular fancy!  A gin and tonic somehow manages to balance a crisp tartness with a summery punch, which always reminds me of the feeling this time of year brings! 

It was one of these such evenings which made me start to think about how I might incorporate our tea blends into a cocktail. I know, I know, there is no way I’d try to say our tea isn’t best served warm and in a mug, but there is no reason it can’t be enjoyed in both circumstances. Embracing hygge is what we try to do here after all, and that doesn’t always means fortifying against the winter cold. 


There really is no reason to use the particular teas that I used. I am sure you can use whatever Hoogly tea you love into the drinks you equally love. They are simply teas which were delicious when combined with my favourite drinks. Do give it a try! The first is a spiced orange gin and tonic. I find that spiced orange, a tea which we actually created to mimic the flavours in a mulled wine, brings out the herbal flavours in the gin, lending the drink a softer taste. 


Spiced Orange Gin and Tonic:


Gin , Orange flavoured preferably, 50ml


Tonic, 100ml


Hoogly Spiced Orange Pyramid Tea Bag


There are so many lovely local gin companies that I find myself spoilt for choice, but since I am in Brighton then surely the Brighton Gin Company needs to be drunk! I  always like to be heavy handed on the gin side, so I fill my glass with 50 ml of gin. I always choose a tumbler, but I know the huge glasses look fantastic in photos.  I then add a spiced orange Hoogly tea bag to the gin, and leave to soak for ten minutes or so, before removing the teabag and adding ice. Afterwards, I fill it up with double the quantity of tonic, and may be a touch too little for most but I like to get the full kick from the gin! 



Sparkling White Mojito:


Mint, 6 sprigs.

White Rum, 45 ml

Sugar syrup, 2 teaspoons

Soda water, to 

Hoogly Sparkling White Pyramid Tea Bag 



This is another great summery drink, and I’d say definitely best enjoyed lounging with a book in front and the full force of the sun behind. A Chill Out Mint would of course work wonderfully here, but to add some new and vibrant to the classic Mojito I think our Sparkling White Tea is the best! I have always been a fan of the combination of both fruit and mint, and I think the elderflower, while enhancing the flavour, is subtle enough to not overpower the flavour of the mint. This is a less citrusy drink to the lime based original, so best for those of you who prefer a fruity taste. 

To make this drink, simply muddle 6 sprigs of mint in the bottom of your glass ( I know you could use a cocktail shaker, but since not everyone has one, I will use a glass) using a fork. Use as much or as little mint as you desire. Then, add 45 mls of rum and a sparkling white tea bag. Leave for 10 minutes before removing the teabag, adding ice and sugar syrup, and then topping up with soda water to taste! A delicious drink, trust me! 

Read more
The Gift Of Hoogly!

The Gift Of Hoogly!

Nothing says ‘Christmas without the stress’ quite like our Danish ethos of Hygge. The mindful concept basically requires you to act like it’s December all year round, without cramming into rugby-scrum shops to spend all your hard-earned cash on presents for other people. The Danes are masters of Hygge, incorporating it into their daily lives and routines, focussing on the things that make them happy, and ensuring they surround themselves with people or things that bring them joy.

Hygge asks us to cosy ourselves—and our houses—until we’re cocooned in a cotton bud of loveliness that we never want to leave. Fluffy socks, our comfiest lounge pants, soft pillows in our favourite nook of the house to read. Low lamplight and candles, a glass of wine for the bath, a box of chocolates in front of latest TV show. It challenges us to have our friends and family around for giant, homemade feasts and boardgames at any time of the year, not just on specific dates. It urges us to step outside, no matter the weather, and enjoy the world around us in all its glory. To get wet, muddy, snowy, suntanned or sticky. To go for a jog or a cycle, and breathe in the fresh air, noticing the trees, the grass, the sky, and stay fit and healthy so that we can enjoy our Hoogly indulgences even more. Hygge asks us to discover what it is that makes us tick, and to set ourselves like a clock so that we repeat these joyful behaviours day after day. This is why the Danes are some of the happiest people on the planet—and you can be too.

But there is still Christmas to contend with. Sadly, we can’t make it vanish in one swish of a Hoogly wand. However, we can offer you a delightful, delicious and decidedly novel idea for your Christmas gift list this year: our sumptuous range of Hoogly teas! Our tantalising and eclectic range are the perfect present for those hard-to-buy-for friends and relatives, a luxurious and elegantly presented selection that will transport the lucky recipient to a whole new world of taste sensations, at the same time offering all the cosy relaxation of Hygge!

For someone who wants to explore the whole spectrum of our tasty, tranquil treats, why not give them a Hoogly Bag? This is a stylish, branded cotton bag with forty individual wraps of eight different blends, including Apple Strudel green tea, Lemon and Ginger herbal infusion, Chill Out Mint and English Breakfast black tea! It’s a lovely gift for one, but there’s more than enough to satisfy the whole family in this beautiful bumper pack!

For tea lovers everywhere, why not go for a Hoogly Gift Box?! This beautiful and classy box contains 250g of your favourite brew in a lovely glass jar, a five-pyramid tea pod and a branded Hoogly mug! Your friends and family will be thrilled to receive this carefully crafted package that will keep them cosy, calm and joyful throughout the grey early months of the new year!

And for that special someone, pick up a gift that says ‘I think the world of you’ with our Luxury Wooden Box and Bag combo! This tea treasure consists of a gorgeous branded wooden box filled with twenty individual tea pyramids, alongside a cotton bag containing forty wraps. Sixty wraps in total, combining eight different tastes, including Earl Grey, Rhubarb and Vanilla, Classic Green and Cosy Chamomile. Forget flowers and chocolate—this gift will be an unexpected delight this Christmas, giving you a very good reason to escape the cracker jokes and charades by heading to the kitchen and flipping on the kettle!

Whatever you get up to this December, don’t forget to give to the gift of Hygge—and make it last all year round!

Written by Chris Bedford.

www.hooglytea.com

Read more
Left Continue shopping
Your Order

You have no items in your cart