Tee for Austrians really means “tea with spirits.” In Austria, tea is drunk mainly with liquor in it.

It is interesting to note that tea drinking in this country is seasonal. Tea is served with its companion alcohol mainly during the winter months.

Tea is also served at Gasthauses (guesthouses) and inns for hikers in the Alps. There is customarily a picnics table set outside at each one. To be served tea, one merely needs to sit down at the table and soon the host/ess will appear with the spirited drink.

TEE MIT RUM (TEA WITH RUM)
Add rum to tea or add hot tea to rum.

TEE MIT SLIVOITZ (TEA WITHSLIVOVITZ)
Yugoslavian blue-plum brandy, Slivovitz, a favorite of Austrians, is often added to tea plum brandy is also made in other central European countries

RUSSISCHER TEE (RUSSIAN TEA)
Austrians import their tea from Russia. Loose ea is put in a Tee Ei (tea egg) and infused in the cup. It is served with pastries.

NOTE: Although Austrians are mainly coffee drinkers; kaffeehauses offer tea as well as coffee. Tea is served “straight” or with milk (Tee mit Milch).

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