The colorful mix was gorgeously displayed in a mason jar, wrapped in a Christmas ribbon, and its crystals swirled like works of sand art. The color was a vibrant orange – almost matching a circus peanut in intensity and hue. Peppered throughout were darker layers of tea and spices, and the whole thing carried an exotic air of mysterious, far-away lands. Treasure like this was surely smuggled and secret, sold in questionable shadows for crazy sums of money. Somehow, every year around Christmas, we came into a jar of it, and we would sparingly measure out spoonfuls of it into hot water for cups of tea that would see us through the wicked winter.
As with so many “exotic” memories of childhood, the reality would prove much more humble (see also ‘Green Beans Exotic’ as made with Velveeta). This ‘Russian’ tea mix was made mostly from… wait for it… Tang.
Yup. Years later, I discovered its genesis when Suzie presented a collection of classic Ko holiday recipes. There was the Russian tea, and the first ingredient was Tang – a good 2 cups of it – followed by instant tea mix. The rare recipe to which I’d attributed such a storied tale found its origin in some astronaut juice that peaked in the 70’s and 80’s. Still, nostalgia is a powerful thing, so when I found the recipe again I decided to give it a modern-day whirl to see how it stood up to the memory and time.
It turns out they still make Tang – in the powdered drink section of the supermarket no less (though you may have to dust it off, as I did). When I was checking out the cashier commented that he hadn’t seen Tang in years. To combat such a relic, I switched in some Chai for the instant tea, added the requisite all-spice, ground cloves and cinnamon, then swirled it together as puffs of Tang dust filled the air. I funneled it all into a glass jar as a gift for Suzie, then stole a couple of spoonfuls just to try it.
It was just as I remembered it.
All that’s missing now is a jar of Turkey Joints.
