A Nice Cuppa

When the weather starts to turn warmer and the days are becoming longer it is time to start making the sweet iced tea. Now seeing as I am currently living in the South, sweet tea in most cases means large amounts of sugar and water with a couple of tea bags. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy my iced tea sweetened but I would like to actually taste the tea and not proceed to bounce off the walls for the rest of the day. Most people drink “sweet tea” as it is known all year long but I think it is more suited for the hot and humid days of summer around here.

I found this recipe for a fruity iced tea a couple of years ago in an Ina Garten Cookbook. It has just a hint of sweetness from the fruit juice and it really enhanced the wonderful flavors of the tea. It is wonderfully refreshing with lunch or on your front porch watching the sun set. Pair it with some cute tarts or desserts and you have yourself quite a tea party.

Ina’s Fruity Summer Tea

4 Celestial Seasoning Red Zinger Tea bags
4 Celestial Seasoning Lemon Zinger Tea bags
4 cups cold apple juice (I actually used white grape juice this time around)

Steep all 8 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes. (I usually throw in a bit of ice to cool it down before combining with juice.) In a large pitcher combine tea with juice and add as much ice as desired. Enjoy!