Iced Tea, Sweet, Unsweet & Lemonade Recipe
Iced Tea, Sweet, Unsweet & Lemonade 1.00 per person
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Ingredients
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Tea Base
Sweetener Syrup (for Sweet Tea)
Lemonade
Garnish & Serve
Method
Tea Base
- 1
- 2
Steep tea
Place 8 black tea bags in a large heatproof pitcher or pot. Pour the hot water over the tea bags, fully submerging them. Steep for 6–8 minutes for a full-flavored iced tea (shorter for lighter tea).
- 3
Remove tea bags
Using tongs or a spoon, remove the tea bags and gently squeeze once against the side of the pitcher to extract liquid. Discard the bags.
- 4
Cool the tea
Allow the brewed tea to cool to room temperature (about 15–20 minutes). Then place the pitcher in the refrigerator until fully chilled, at least 30 minutes. If you need it sooner, transfer to a shallow container and place in the freezer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sweetener Syrup (for Sweet Tea)
- 5
Make simple syrup
Combine 1.5 cups granulated sugar and 1.5 cups water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Do not boil hard; a gentle simmer is fine. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- 6
Sweeten brewed tea
Once the tea is chilled in the refrigerator, pour it into a serving pitcher. For sweet tea, stir in the entire batch of cooled simple syrup (1.5 cups) and taste. Adjust sweetness by adding up to 2–3 tablespoons more syrup per pitcher if desired. For unsweet tea, do not add syrup—serve the chilled tea as-is.
- 7
Lemonade
- 8
Make lemonade syrup
In a small saucepan combine 0.75 cups granulated sugar and 0.75 cups water. Heat over medium, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- 9
Combine lemonade
In a pitcher, combine 1 cup fresh lemon juice, the cooled lemonade syrup, and 3 cups cold water. Stir thoroughly and taste. If it's too strong, add up to 1 cup more cold water. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.
- 10
Adjust and store
If you prefer a tarter lemonade, add extra lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time. Store lemonade refrigerated up to 3 days; stir before serving as separation may occur.
Garnish & Serve
- 11
- 12
- 13
Serve sweet tea
Use the pitcher of tea that has been mixed with the sweet syrup. Pour over ice and garnish with lemon slice and mint sprig. Offer extra simple syrup on the side for guests who want it sweeter.
- 14
Serve lemonade
Pour chilled lemonade over ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig. Optionally offer a pitcher of cold water nearby for guests who want to dilute further.
- 15
Arnold Palmer option
To make Arnold Palmers (half tea, half lemonade), mix equal parts chilled tea and chilled lemonade in a pitcher or pour half-and-half directly into each glass over ice. Adjust ratio to taste.
- 16
Storage
Chilled tea (sweetened or unsweetened) and lemonade keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep syrups refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
