Gallon Of Fresh-brewed Iced Tea, Soft Drink Or Lemonade Recipe
Make Gallon Of Fresh-brewed Iced Tea, Soft Drink Or Lemonade Recipe in just 45m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Base Tea (for Iced Tea option)
Lemonade (for Lemonade option)
Soft Drink (homemade flavored soda concentrate option)
Method
Base Tea (for Iced Tea option)
- 1
Brew the tea
Bring 8 cups (2 quarts) of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add 8 black tea bags (or equivalent loose-leaf). Steep for 5 minutes for medium strength or up to 7 minutes for stronger tea. Avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness.
- 2
Sweeten while hot (optional)
If making sweet tea, stir 1 cup granulated sugar into the hot brewed tea until fully dissolved. Taste and adjust: use 3/4 cup for lightly sweet, 1 cup for typical sweet tea.
- 3
Cool and combine
Remove tea bags (squeeze gently against the side with a spoon if desired). Pour the hot brewed tea into a clean 1-gallon pitcher. Add 8 cups cold water to bring the volume to roughly 1 gallon (a gallon = 16 cups). Stir to combine. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1–2 hours.
- 4
Lemonade (for Lemonade option)
- 5
Make simple syrup
In a small saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. (You can make more syrup and store extra).
- 6
Juice the lemons
Roll lemons firmly on the counter and juice until you have about 2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 6–8 lemons). Strain to remove seeds and excess pulp if desired.
- 7
Combine and dilute
In a clean 1-gallon pitcher, pour the 2 cups lemon juice and the cooled simple syrup (1 cup). Add 14 cups cold water to reach 1 gallon total volume, stirring thoroughly. Taste and adjust: add more water if too tart or more syrup if you prefer sweeter lemonade.
- 8
Soft Drink (homemade flavored soda concentrate option)
- 9
Make simple syrup (if not prepared)
To make 2 cups simple syrup: combine 2 cups granulated sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Cool completely. (If you already have syrup, measure 2 cups.)
- 10
Prepare flavor concentrate
Use 1 cup of flavor concentrate: options include strained fruit puree (berries, mango), strong juice (grape, pomegranate), or cordial/ade. If using fresh fruit puree, lightly sweeten and strain for a smooth syrupy concentrate.
- 11
Mix soda
In a large clean pitcher, combine 2 cups simple syrup and 1 cup flavor concentrate. Stir until homogeneous. Slowly add 12 cups chilled carbonated water and stir gently to preserve fizz. Taste and adjust: add extra syrup or concentrate for a sweeter, stronger soda (be cautious to avoid flattening the carbonation).
- 12
Serve
Serve over ice in individual glasses. Garnish with citrus slices if desired. Best consumed the day of preparation for maximum carbonation; refrigerated for up to 24 hours (expect some loss of fizz over time).