Kitchenability Blog
05.27.2016
Homemade Iced Tea Recipes: Mint Iced Tea, More
In the spirit of summer officially being right around the corner — and because next month (June) is National Iced Tea month — I present a post that’s dedicated to the wonder that is the flavored iced tea — featuring several iced tea recipes.
My favorite is mint iced tea (recipe below). Mint tends to literally grow like a weed, so it’s relatively easy to keep some on hand if you’re a gardener. Or, if you don’t have a green thumb — even for mint — it’s easy enough to pick up a fresh bunch at the grocery store.
Now, regardless of where you procure your mint, you’ll first want to pull the mint leaves off the stems and give them a good rinse. After that, you’re ready to start concocting your homemade mint iced tea!
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, plus some sprigs for garnish
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tea bags (regular, green or black)
- Wash, then coarsely chop the mint leaves.
- Place the mint and water in a sauce pot.
- Bring the water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer.
- Add the sugar and allow the liquid to continue simmering for 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves completely. Stir occasionally so the sugar does not stick to the bottom and burn.
- Add the tea bags and turn off the heat on the stove. After a few minutes, when it's strong enough for your taste, pull the tea bags out.
- Pour the tea, including the mint leaves, into a pitcher. Allow the tea to cool in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Serve in a tall glass with ice and garnish each serving with fresh mint sprigs.
For those of you interested in experimenting with other flavored iced tea recipes, I also found these tasty ideas:
Summertime Refreshment: 9 Homemade Iced Tea Recipes — from Delish.com
Tangerine Raspberry Iced Tea Recipe — from Good Life Eats
10 Fresh, Cold Takes on Iced Tea — from The Kitchn
What are some of your favorite homemade iced tea concoctions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. Cheers!
Photo: Patrick Onofre Photography
