Drinks Recipe
Make Drinks Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Classic Lemon Iced Tea
Mint Simple Syrup (for optional mint iced tea)
Sparkling Citrus Cooler (nonalcoholic)
Iced Coffee with Vanilla (cold brew style)
Method
Classic Lemon Iced Tea
- 1
Steep
Place 4 black tea bags in a heatproof pitcher. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes for a balanced brew (7 minutes for stronger tea).
- 2
Sweeten
Remove and discard tea bags. While the brewed tea is still hot, stir in 3 tablespoons granulated sugar until fully dissolved.
- 3
Chill & Finish
Allow the sweetened tea to cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes), then stir in 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. To serve, fill glasses with 1/2 cup ice per serving, pour tea over ice, and garnish with lemon slices.
Mint Simple Syrup (for optional mint iced tea)
- 4
Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Add 10 fresh mint leaves, bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to infuse. Remove from heat, let cool 15 minutes, then strain out mint leaves. Store syrup in the refrigerator up to 1 week. To use, add 1–2 tablespoons syrup per cup of iced tea to taste.
Sparkling Citrus Cooler (nonalcoholic)
- 5
Mix juices
In a pitcher, combine 1 cup fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons simple syrup. Stir until syrup is fully incorporated.
- 6
Add bubbles
Just before serving, add 2 cups chilled sparkling water to the juice mixture and stir gently to preserve carbonation.
- 7
Serve
Fill glasses with ice (about 1/2 cup per glass), pour the sparkling citrus over ice, and garnish each glass with an orange wheel.
Iced Coffee with Vanilla (cold brew style)
- 8
Make cold brew concentrate
In a large jar or pitcher combine 3/4 cup coarsely ground coffee with 3 cups cold water. Stir to saturate grounds, cover, and steep in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 12–18 hours.
- 9
Filter
After steeping, strain the coffee through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper filter into a clean container to remove grounds. This yields a cold-brew concentrate.
- 10