Homemade iced tea is an excellent drink for a get-together with friends, a garden party, or a children's birthday. Refreshing iced tea in many different flavors can be easily prepared in your kitchen from simple ingredients available in every home. What are the most popular recipes for this aromatic drink? How and in what to serve iced tea to maintain its flavor and temperature for a long time?
Refreshing Iced Tea
Cool, stimulating, aromatic, refreshing – that's iced tea. Hard to believe, but this simple drink is only a little over 100 years old! It was first described in the second half of the 19th century – it was a glass full of ice, sugar, and an infusion of tea leaves. Already global tea brands quickly picked up on this idea and started selling bottled iced tea in stores.
Thanks to the wide availability of various tea leaves in stores, homemade iced tea is easy to make and will have a deep, multi-layered flavor. It's especially worth choosing black or green tea, with a lower theine content, so it's not too tart, or using herbs.
Glassware that Stays Cool
Iced tea not only has a delicious taste but also, depending on the type, takes on a beautiful amber or green color. Combined with ice, it reflects light beautifully. It's worth preparing it directly in a thick-bottomed and thick-glassed pitcher, preferably with the largest possible capacity, to accommodate the right amount of ice, infusion, and also to add any flavored iced tea additives, such as fruit pieces or flowers and herb leaves. Vessels such as pitchers from the "Harmony," "Romance," or "Fjord" series will perfectly maintain coolness, ensuring the desired aroma lasts longer, and the ice won't melt, diluting the iced tea.
Also, iced tea glasses should be made of thick glass and have an elevated bottom to help maintain a low temperature. Their larger capacity allows for adding more ice cubes and garnishes. Cocktail glasses will be ideal for this purpose – primarily for long drinks, like those from the "Blended" and "Balance," "Splendour," or "Mixology" series.
It's worth learning how to make iced tea! What are the most popular recipes for this drink?
Homemade Iced Tea Recipes
Ingredients to make ice tea style drinks can be found in almost every kitchen. It's also worth exploring its other flavor variations that will work well during summer garden parties, children's birthdays, or a break during home office! How to make iced tea at home?
Classic Iced Tea - Recipe
To prepare a simple ICED TEA, you will need:
- 1 liter of hot water,
- 2 teaspoons or bags of Earl Grey or English Breakfast black tea,
- 5 teaspoons of powdered sugar, xylitol, or cane sugar,
- juice of 1-1.5 lemons,
- 15-20 ice cubes.
Brew the tea in a teapot. Dissolve sugar or sweetener in it and let it cool. Pour into the serving pitcher and mix with lemon juice. Chill in the refrigerator. Add ice cubes to the container before serving.
Peach Iced Tea - Recipe
To prepare PEACH ICED TEA, you will need:
- 1 liter of hot water,
- 2 teaspoons or bags of Earl Grey or English Breakfast black tea,
- 4-5 canned peach halves,
- juice of 1 lemon,
- 15-20 ice cubes.
Brew the tea in one liter of hot water, then let it cool. Blend the canned peaches into a smooth puree. Transfer the pulp and lemon juice to the serving pitcher, pour in the lukewarm tea, and mix thoroughly. Chill in the refrigerator. Before serving at a party, mix with ice cubes.
Mint Iced Tea - Recipe
To prepare MINT ICED TEA, you will need:
- 1 liter of hot water,
- 2 teaspoons or bags of Earl Grey or English Breakfast black tea,
- 2 teaspoons or bags of mint tea,
- 5 teaspoons of honey,
- juice of 1 lemon,
- 15-20 ice cubes.
Brew both teas in one vessel. When the liquid temperature drops slightly, dissolve the honey. Pour into the serving pitcher and mix with lemon juice. Chill in the refrigerator. Add ice cubes to the container before serving.
Green Iced Tea - Recipe
To prepare GREEN ICED TEA, you will need:
- 1 liter of hot water,
- 3-4 teaspoons or bags of green tea,
- 3-4 teaspoons of powdered sugar or xylitol,
- 15-20 ice cubes.
Brew the tea in water at 70-80oC for a maximum of 2-3 minutes. Mix with the chosen sweetener. After cooling, pour into a glass pitcher and chill in the refrigerator. Add ice cubes before serving.
Another variety of iced tea is cold brew style, which is tea brewed cold rather than gradually cooled. How to make it at home?
Cold Brew Tea - Recipe
To prepare COLD BREW TEA, you will need:
- 1 liter of cold water,
- 4-5 teaspoons of black tea or 6-7 teaspoons of green tea,
- 4-5 teaspoons of powdered sugar or xylitol, dissolved in 100 ml of warm water.
In a French press, a pitcher with a coffee filter or a strainer, prepare the infusion – pour cold water directly over the tea leaves. Place in the refrigerator overnight, or even for 24 hours, to allow for cold brewing. Pour into the serving vessel and sweeten with sugar water or xylitol. Store in the refrigerator.