Half Iced Tea, Half Lemonade - 4.5% Abv Recipe

Brew tea

Brew 3 cups of strong black tea: steep 3-4 standard tea bags (or 3 tbsp loose leaf) in 3 cups of near-boiling water for 5–7 minutes for bold flavor. Remove tea bags/strain leaves and let the tea cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes) or chill in the fridge 15 minutes.

Make or measure lemonade: prepare fresh lemonade by mixing freshly squeezed lemon juice with water and sugar to taste, then strain out pulp. Measure 3 cups of lemonade and keep chilled. If using store-bought lemonade, ensure it is well chilled.

Combine alcohol: in a large pitcher, pour the cooled tea and chilled lemonade together (3 cups tea + 3 cups lemonade). Add 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup / 90 ml) vodka or light rum and stir gently to combine. This amount of 40% ABV spirit in 6 cups of mixer yields approximately 4.5% ABV for the finished drink.

Adjust sweetness: taste the mixture. If you prefer a slightly sweeter drink, stir in up to 2 tablespoons of simple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired balance.

Prepare glasses: fill four tall glasses with a generous amount of ice (about 1/2 cup ice per glass).

Pour and garnish: divide the tea-lemonade-alcohol mixture evenly among the four glasses (about 1 1/2 cups / 12 fl oz per glass). Add one lemon slice and one mint sprig to each glass. Optionally, stir briefly in each glass to chill and integrate flavors.

Serve: serve immediately with a straw or stirring spoon. Provide extra lemon slices and mint on the side.