Raspberry Iced Tea Recipe

Make concentrated raspberry simple syrup

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 6–8 minutes, mashing the raspberries occasionally with a spoon or potato masher to release juices. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep for 5 minutes to intensify flavor.

Strain syrup

Place a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth over a bowl or measuring cup. Pour the raspberry-sugar mixture through the sieve, pressing on solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids (or reserve for another use). You should have about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of raspberry syrup. If you prefer a smoother sweeter syrup, return liquid to the saucepan, bring to a boil briefly, then cool.

Brew strong black tea

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 6 black tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes for a robust flavor (6–7 minutes for stronger). Avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness. After steeping, remove and discard the tea bags, gently squeezing each to recover liquid, then let the tea cool 10–15 minutes at room temperature.

Combine tea and syrup

In a large pitcher, combine the brewed black tea (4 cups), the strained raspberry syrup (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups), and 4 additional cups of cold water. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust: if you want sweeter tea, add more syrup; for less intense raspberry flavor or lower sweetness, add more cold water.

Add lemon and chill

Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Refrigerate the pitcher for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly and allow flavors to marry. For best flavor, chill 2–4 hours.

Serve

Fill glasses with ice cubes (about 1 cup ice per glass). Pour the chilled raspberry iced tea over the ice. Garnish each glass with 2 raspberries and 1–2 fresh mint leaves, if using. Serve immediately.

Optional: Make a larger batch note

This recipe scales easily: keep the tea to syrup ratio roughly 4 cups brewed tea : 1 cup raspberry syrup : 4 cups cold water. Adjust sweetness and tartness with sugar and lemon juice to taste.