Lactose-intolerant friends, take heed! Not all of the Brandy Alexanders on this year’s tour deal in dairy.

Hoppy Monk, a supporter of all things local and independent, uses a mix of coconut and almond milk for their 2019 Kinsman Brandy Alexander. For this year’s tour, bar manager Ricardo Ruiz tapped a familiar flavor profile to spice up his Brandy Alexander.

He infused the almond and coconut milks with a house-made masala chai blend of cinnamon, black pepper, star anise, cardamom, and ginger. Ricardo added black tea during the last five minutes of heating the milk mixture to add herbal notes, without the tannic qualities of tea.

“I love chai. In my opinion, Mexican and Indian cooking are very similar,” Ricardo said.