Summer’s favorite drink
One of my favorite things about the summer time is drinking delicious, homemade sun tea. Unfortunately it has been raining non-stop for the past week here in NYC so it???s been impossible for me to make any yet this season. However, as soon as the weather clears up, I most certainly will be enjoying many varieties of sun tea. For those of you who are not stuck in a perpetual rainstorm, here are the basics of making sun tea:
Fill a clean, glass 2-quart pitcher with water and add 4-6 tea bags. Close the lid and set the pitcher in a bright, sunny place. Someplace outside is the best, where the sun can have direct contact with the jar, but if you happen to live in an apartment where putting the jar outside is not an option, a windowsill works fine as well. I typically use the fire escape outside my apartment. Keep the pitcher in the sun for about 3-5 hours depending on how strong you like your tea. You may have to move the pitcher as the sun moves throughout the day. Once the tea has finished ???brewing,??? bring the pitcher inside and remove the tea bags. If you prefer sweet tea (which is definitely the way I prefer it!) it is best to sweeten the tea immediately after removing it from the sunlight. Keep the tea in stored in the refrigerator and enjoy!
Depending on the type of tea you are using for your homemade sun tea, there are lots of ways you can vary the taste of your tea. Try adding slices of lemon, oranges, cinnamon sticks, or fresh mint leaves before setting the pitcher out in the sun for some fun, flavorful varieties!
Editor’s note: Stay tuned later in the week for another author’s take on making sun tea.
