Tea Mocktail: Hellbender Highball
Spruce Pine’s first Hellbender Festival last month was a celebration of community and resiliency, as well as a chance to spotlight the vulnerable Eastern Hellbender salamander that makes its home in our mountain streams. For the event, I crafted a special tea-based mocktail: the Hellbender Highball.
Made with a concentrate of high-grade buckwheat tea, Dattan Sobacha, this drink is naturally caffeine-free and suited for any time of day. Its flavors are light yet layered—nutty buckwheat balanced with the richness of brown sugar, lifted by the subtle citrus of yuzu, and rounded out with a touch of saline that teases out the almost caramel notes. Poured over ice and topped with sparkling water, it’s a refreshing drink that’s as easy to enjoy on a warm afternoon as it is on a cozy evening in. I’ve been guilty of drinking three in a row after making a big batch to keep on hand.
At the festival, a couple of folks asked about replacing the yuzu juice powder, which adds a citrus twist without the tang. My suggestion: add the zest of one lemon when making the brown sugar simple syrup. It won’t be an exact match, but it makes for a bright, tasty alternative.
Hellbender Highball
Roasted caramel notes make a perfect year-round mocktail. Recipe yields about 1 liter of mocktail base, ready to serve with sparkling water.
Ingredients
Tea Concentrate:
20 grams (about 3 Tbsp) loose leaf Dattan Sobacha
24 oz water, divided across 3 infusions
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Saline Solution:
10 grams kosher salt
40 grams water
To Serve:
3 cups (24 oz) tea concentrate
3/4 cup (6 oz) brown sugar simple syrup
30 drops (roughly 1/2 tsp.) saline solution
3 tsp. yuzu juice powder
approximately 1 liter cold sparkling water
Method
Make the Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Combine brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat and cool. Store any extra in the refrigerator.
Make the Saline Solution
In a small bowl, stir salt and water until dissolved. Transfer to a clean glass dropper bottle (a standard 2 oz bottle fits this recipe). Store for future mocktails.
Make the Tea Concentrate
Add 20 grams of Dattan Sobacha to a small teapot, gaiwan, or glass measuring cup.
First steep: 8 oz water at 195°F for 2 minutes. Strain and set aside.
Second steep: same leaves in 8 oz water for 2.5 minutes. Combine with first infusion (16 oz).
Third steep: same leaves in 8 oz water for 3 minutes. Combine all infusions (24 oz total).
Making the tea concentrate over 3 infusions this way allows you to use fewer leaves and get the full range of flavors that multiple infusions pull from the tea. Of course, if you prefer speed, you could get away with increasing the amount of tea and make one large infusion.
Mix the Base
While the tea concentrate is still warm, whisk in yuzu powder until dissolved. Stir in simple syrup and saline solution until fully combined. Transfer to a 1-liter bottle and chill.
Serve
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add equal parts mocktail base and chilled sparkling water (about half and half), adjusting to taste. Garnish if desired and enjoy.
