Southern Peach Tea Mocktail Recipe

Cook peaches to release flavor

Place the chopped peaches, sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Smash some of the peach pieces with the back of a spoon to help release juices and flavor, and simmer for 8–10 minutes until peaches are very soft and liquid is fragrant and slightly thickened.

Finish syrup

Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Let the mixture steep and cool for 15 minutes to concentrate flavor. Carefully strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard solids or reserve for another use. Transfer syrup to a jar and refrigerate until cold. This yields about 1 to 1 1/4 cups syrup.

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan. Remove from heat and add 4 black tea bags. Steep for 4–5 minutes for robust flavor (avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness). Remove and discard tea bags. Add 2 cups cold water to the concentrated tea to cool it down and make 6 cups total. Refrigerate until chilled, or cool quickly with ice (accounting for melt) if making immediately.

Muddle mint

In a pitcher or cocktail shaker, place 6 of the mint leaves and gently muddle (press and twist) with the 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons peach syrup to release mint oil. Do not over-muddle to avoid bitterness.

Combine tea and syrup

Add 2 cups chilled iced black tea and 1/2 cup peach simple syrup to the pitcher (adjust syrup to taste for sweetness). Stir well to combine. Taste and add more syrup or lemon juice if desired.

Serve

Fill four tall glasses with ice (about 3/4 cup ice per glass). Divide the tea mixture among the glasses. Top each glass with about 1/4 cup sparkling water if using for a light effervescence. Garnish each glass with a peach slice and 1–2 mint leaves. Optional: add a sprig of mint and a thin lemon wheel.

For single servings, combine 1/2 cup chilled tea, 2 tablespoons peach syrup, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and a few lightly muddled mint leaves in a shaker with ice. Shake briefly and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with 2 tablespoons sparkling water.