Flavored Refrigerator Iced Tea
By Monica
1 quart
It's easy to create an endless variety of flavored teas using jams & preserves, fruit juices, spices, syrups, and extracts. For detailed photos of this technique, read full blog post at http://theyummylife.com/blog/2010/08/27.
Ingredients
- 4 tea bags or 4 teaspoons loose leaf tea
- 4 cups tap or room temperature water
- FOR ADDING FLAVORS, CHOOSE FROM:
- 1/2 cup fruit jam or preserves
- 1 cup fruit juice/drink (pomegranate juice, apricot nectar, black cherry juice, grapefruit & orange juice, apple cider, etc.)
- 1/3 cup thawed frozen juice/drink concentrate (lemonade, orange juice, etc.)
- spices (2 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 2 tablespoons crushed crystallized ginger, etc.)
- sprig of fresh herbs (mint, lavender, rosemary, basil, thyme), chopped
- 1 teaspoon extract (vanilla or almond)
- 2-4 tablespoons flavored syrups/sauces (maple, blueberry, caramel, etc.)
- additional sweeteners to taste, if desired (sugar, simple syrup, honey, agave syrup, etc.)
- shot of alcohol (rum, flavored liqueurs, etc.) per glass of flavored tea
Directions
These recipes use the refrigerator tea method. No boiling water or steeping in the sun. Combine the ingredients, and let them steep in the fridge. Read more about making refrigerator tea at http://theyummylife.com/blog/2010/08/22
Use a 1-quart Mason jar or pitcher. A tea basket or ball is needed for adding flavors using jam/preserves, herbs, or spices.
--If using tea bags: hang tea bags inside pitcher or jar with strings hanging over the rim (for easy removal later). Add jam/preserves or spices to tea basket or ball and insert in pitcher or jar. Add fruit juices or extracts to jar/pitcher. Add water making sure that tea and added flavorings are immersed, cover, and put in fridge for 6-12 hours. Remove tea bags, basket, or balls and serve. (Read full blog post for detailed photos of this procedure.)
--If using loose leaf tea: add 4 teaspoons tea leaves to a tea basket, tea ball or tea filter bag. Add flavors and water as described above.
FLAVOR SUGGESTIONS:
~Raspberry Tea--Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea in the jar, add 1/2 cup raspberry preserves to the tea basket, fill jar with water.
~Apricot Almond Tea--Pour 1 cup apricot nectar into jar, add 1 teaspoon almond extract, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water.
~Mint Tea--Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add a loosely packed 1/2 cup of mint leaves, cutting the mint into the tea basket; fill jar with water.
~Apple Spice Tea--Pour 1 cup apple cider into jar; add tea bags or basket of leaf tea; add 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tablespoon cinnamon chunks) and 1 teaspoon whole cloves to tea basket; fill jar with water.
~Caramel Tea--Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 3-4 tablespoons caramel sauce; fill jar with water.
~Pomegranate Tea--Pour 1 cup pomegranate juice into jar, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water.
~Lemonade Tea--Pour 1/2 cup of lemonade concentrate (from frozen can) into jar, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water. (This is similar to Arnold Palmer Tea.)
~Cherry Vanilla Tea--Pour 1 cup cherry juice into jar; add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; add tea bags or basket of leaf tea; fill jar with water.
~Caramel Apple Tea--Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 3-4 tablespoons caramel sauce; add 1 cup apple cider; fill jar with water.
~Ginger Tea--Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 1 tablespoon crushed crystallized ginger to tea basket; fill jar with water.
~Ginger Peach Tea--Same as Ginger Tea above, plus add 1/2 cup peach preserves to tea basket or 1 cup peach nectar before filling jar with water.
MAKE IT A COCKTAIL:
Add a shot of rum or flavored liqueur to your glass, and then fill it with flavored tea.
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