How to Spice Up Your Iced Tea
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Iced tea is one of the most refreshing beverages you can make. It’s not carbonated, can be served to taste of your guests, and can be very healthy. Sometimes, however, you want to spice up iced tea to change things up a bit! Luckily, iced tea can be a blank state for a variety of flavors and additions, making it easy to make many variations on iced tea.
One of the easiest ways to flavor iced tea is to put some fresh add-ins in your pitcher. Fresh fruit in particular is easy to muddle into tea, and fresh spices and herbs can also add flavor. This can add interest not only in flavor, but in appearance – how beautiful would a pitcher with fresh strawberries and iced tea be?
Another option, one that can be used with fresh fruit and spices, is to add a simple syrup. Simple syrups are incredibly simple to make – all you do is put equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan and heat the ingredients until they are completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and you have simple syrup! Let it cool, keep it cold, and you can use it for several weeks! One other great thing about simple syrups – you can even infuse flavors like mint or orange to add even more flavor to your iced tea.
Here are some easy and delicious ways to spice up your iced tea.
- Make a mojito! Iced tea can easily become a base for your favorite cocktail – with or without alcohol – with the addition of some mint, lime, and sugar. Take unsweetened iced tea and add sugar to taste, along with mint leaves and lime wedges, then muddle.
- Make a mason jar drink! Mason jars are super trendy right now, and for good reason. They are easy and affordable to find, have lids, and are a perfect size for iced drinks. One of the easiest ways to add some flavor to iced tea is to create a mason jar drink you can shake when ready to drink. This is also a great option if you want a grab and go drink. Put water, tea bags, and any ingredients you want to add – like fruit – in a mason jar, put the lid on, and put in the fridge. The next morning, remove the jar, keep cold, and shake before drinking.
- Add frozen fruit to your tea! Adding frozen fruit kills two birds with one stone, since you’re making the drink cold while adding flavor. Try adding frozen peaches to a mason jar and then adding tea bags, water, and some ginger. Leave overnight and the next day you’ll have a delicious peach ginger tea slushie!
The best part of spicing up iced tea is that you can do it for yourself, a couple of people, or a crowd. These recipes and ideas are easy to make and customize, and can be fun to experiment with when you want to spice up your iced tea! For a true iced tea hit, check out my fruit-infused red iced tea recipe.
Refreshing and so tasty!