Iced Tea Inspired By Summer
Though it’s probably a little known fact that June is National Iced Tea Month, it’s a very well known fact that summer makes many of us crave iced tea. Some of us make sun tea, some make moon tea by letting the tea bags steep in the refrigerator overnight, and the rest of us, well we do it the old fashioned way, on the stove with boiling water.
The 4th of July will be here in a few days, and along with the holiday comes lots of cookouts and parties. Surely there will be lots of iced tea served up, why not add a little something extra? If you’re serving unsweetened iced tea, offer up some mint syrup for those who prefer their tea sweet. Or brew up a batch of lime iced tea, it’s simple yet perfect for entertaining.
Mint Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
about 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
Put sugar and water in a saucepan, stir to mix. Place over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is clear. Turn heat up to medium, and heat til simmering.
Remove from heat and stir in mint. Let stand for 30 minutes
Drain into a small jar or bottle with a top. Discard leaves. Refrigerate syrup until ready to us.
Lime Iced Tea
7 cups cold water, divided
6 regular size or 2 family size tea bags
1 cup sugar
1( 6 oz) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Steep atleast 5 minutes.
Place sugar and limeade concentrate in a 2 quart, heat-proof container, stir to mix.
Remove tea bags without squeezing, let drain and discard. Pour steeped tea into the limeade mixture and stir to combine. Add remaining 3 cups of cold water. Cool, then refrigerate.
Serve over ice, garnished with lime slices if desired
Lime Ice Tea recipe from “Iced Tea” by Fred Thompson.
