*This Russian Tea Mix post was brought to you in partnership with Walgreens & Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.*
One recipe that stands out from my early teen years is Russian Tea Mix, also known as friendship tea. My mom used to make it every winter and I fell in love with the citrus flavors and warmth it offered on a cold night. When I thought about creating a recipe in a jar, my mind went back to this memory. It is super easy to make and looks great in a mason jar no matter which size is used. I decorated my jars and even added a photo gift tag for that extra personal touch for this homemade holiday gift.
I knew putting the mix together was going to be the extra easy part. It is literally just measuring out a few ingredients and stirring them together. This is a great recipe for kids to help or do entirely themselves. Homemade gifts that kids can make like this friendship tea or these chocolate dipped candy canes always makes gift giving more fun for them!
Russian Tea Mix Ingredients
Russian tea requires just a few key ingredients including orange flavored drink mix. We’ve always used Tang and I can’t imagine what it would taste like without it. You’ll also need a dry lemonade drink mix that is already sweetened like Country Time Lemonade and unsweetened tea in powder form like Lipton. Add a bit of sugar, cinnamon and cloves and you’ve got a delicious drink to enjoy any time! Just add a couple of spoonfuls to some boiling water.
- 2 cups orange-flavored drink mix (Tang)
- 1 cup lemonade-flavored drink mix
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup instant unsweetened tea powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients. (Let ingredients settle for best flavor.)
- To serve, add 2 to 4 teaspoons to a mug. Add boiling water and stir.
It doesn’t get easier than that.
How to Make a Mason Jar Gift
I picked up some supplies from my local craft store. Because of the flavors of the tea, I thought cinnamon sticks were a great fit for the outside and of course they smell divine. To dress up the jars, I found fun clear scrapbook stickers which attached easily to the outside.
I wanted to make our jars very personalized, so I put in an order online for the Walgreens Photo Center just down the street. I wasn’t sure exactly what size I would need so I ordered some wallet prints that were $.99 for a sheet of four and created a few collage prints in different sizes so I would have some choices. The collage prints are only $.39 for a 4″x6″ sheet so they were actually the cheapest route but in the end I used the wallet size for my tag. What works best for you will depend upon the picture you choose and how many pictures you add into the collage. My pictures had a lot of background included so they were more flexible than a close up shot would be in this case. Ultimately the wallet size ended up being perfect with a little trimming and I loved the collages so much I didn’t want to cut them if I didn’t need to.
It took me no time at all. My Walgreens offered same day pick up and in my case, was done in an hour. I used a coupon code I found right on Walgreens which gave me 50% off with a $10 order or more so I added in some prints. This was very affordable! (Note: If your pictures were professionally done, be sure to have a copy of your photographer’s print release. I had to fill out a form and provide a copy in order to obtain my pictures.)
For the tops of my jars, I cut some burlap garland and tied them off with some ribbon. I inserted a cinnamon stick in the knot and added a few wire berries. They were very easy to attach, especially since my ribbon has holes.
Using my wavy crafting scissors and some double-sided tape, I trimmed my photo to fit and attached to my gift tags. I embellished them a bit at the edges and attached them to my ribbon with decorative pins. I played around with different layouts, and the possibilities are endless. The back of the gift tag was the perfect place to include the simple instructions for the Russian tea.
This was a super easy project and is great for gift giving this holiday season. I plan to keep these jars on hand for hostess or teacher gifts. And I’m definitely going to be making some more photo gift tags for presents with the leftover wallets. They were surprisingly easy and really make gifts stand out! Hope you love this Russian Tea Mix gift idea that is perfect for the holidays.
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joanna garcia says
December 6, 2013 at 5:30 amomg that russian tea sounds amazing! love the mason jar and the photo gift tag idea what a great gift idea!
vickie couturier says
December 6, 2013 at 9:52 amthat would be so perfect for a teacher or neighbor,etc..how clever are you,,wow,love this ideal,,you could always recycle old Christmas card too an cut out what you want an paste it to the jar or card
Teresa Honores says
December 6, 2013 at 10:09 ami love how you decorated the mason jar! love the idea of putting tea in there and also the gift card!
Marti Tabora says
December 8, 2013 at 12:31 pmThis is such a great gift idea. It’s not expensive and shows the person you’re giving it to that you spent time on the gift. Love it. Thanks.
Alexia says
December 8, 2013 at 12:35 pmThis is SO cute and so unique! I have seen similar crafts but this is exceptional. I love the cinnamon stick and the burlap! Thanks for the share! Pinned to my craft Pinterest!
Rust says
December 8, 2013 at 2:27 pmthis sounds very good! love the packaging idea, perfect for gift giving, Gotta try it!
Autum says
December 8, 2013 at 5:14 pmThis is a cute idea for Christmas for the neighbors or drop in guests. Something easy you could put together with your kids. 🙂
Andrea Byrne says
December 8, 2013 at 6:41 pmwhat a great idea. I was planning on trying a jar gift this year! thanks for another great option to choose from~
Betty Baez says
December 9, 2013 at 10:14 amOh this is lovely what a cute and thoughtful gift!
Jen F says
December 9, 2013 at 5:10 pmThis is a REALLY cute idea! I love adding the photo to make it a more personalized gift.
Christine says
December 9, 2013 at 7:46 pmThis look delicious – I don’t know if I could make them up, and then NOT make them right away!
Eileen Richter says
December 9, 2013 at 10:04 pmWhat a wonderful idea! My sisters are always cold and running into work in the cold weather. i thought of buying them heat resistant stainless “water bottles” for tea,…NOW I know a great idea to add to this. A good paperback to wrap up and they are good to go! THANKS!
Kelly A says
December 10, 2013 at 12:08 amI’ve never had Russian Tea but it looks so comforting the way you packaged it up so pretty!! I gotta try it!
Gianna says
December 10, 2013 at 3:29 amWhat a cute gift idea!
Lisa R says
December 10, 2013 at 12:48 pmGreat Idea, I never heard of Russian Tea
sibabe64 at ptd dot net
stephanie says
December 14, 2013 at 10:36 ami love the idea
Jennifer @TheRebelChick says
December 14, 2013 at 12:16 pmThose are so pretty and festive! I’ve been making gifts in a jar but not decorated so nicely. You’ve inspired me!
Shani F. says
December 14, 2013 at 5:15 pmThis is such a cute idea for a gift. I love Russian tea and will have to try this recipe.
Sarah Hayes says
January 6, 2014 at 12:05 amyou made these look great. I think this would be fun to do with my daughter this year. I will keep this is mind! very different from what other ppl do here and i think they would like it
Georgia Beckman says
March 30, 2014 at 1:39 pmThanks for sharing this recipe. I pinned it. It sound delicious & I’m wondering how it is that I’ve never had Russian tea?????????
nicole dz says
April 4, 2014 at 9:36 pmWOW these look like they should be in a store to buy! The gift tags give it that personal touch! Love the burlap! I’m a huge tea drinker so I would definatly try this recipe too.
Sandra VanHoey says
May 13, 2014 at 9:45 amYou do such nice work and have some wonderful ideas, the tea des sound great
Lily Kwan says
July 8, 2014 at 12:51 amThis recipe looks very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Deb says
December 24, 2015 at 11:45 amTo some people when they smell gingerbread or peppermint, it takes them to the holidays. For me, its the smell of russian tea. I am 58 years old and have drinking it since I was a small child every winter!!!!
Rosie says
December 11, 2016 at 10:28 amThis is so pretty! I haven’t heard of Tang in ages, and what a nice way to use it! I’d love to try this!
shelly peterson says
December 11, 2016 at 2:04 pmI grew up drinking Russian tea and loved it. My family has made the Russian Tea mix for many years. I made some a couple years ago and my kids did not like it 🙁 more for me right. 🙂 I love the decorated mason jar idea.
Kirsten says
March 25, 2019 at 5:19 pmWow!! This was a recipe that’s been a staple in my house since I was young – something my Great Grandma used to make. I don’t feel like Xmas until I’ve had my first cup of the season. Here in Canada, you can’t find instant tea crystals anymore, so I started using iced tea crystals instead and eliminated the added sugar, and it tastes exactly the same. I’ve given this as a gift at Xmas many times over the years!