Here's something refreshing for summer time. Before going to the iced tea recipe, let me ask you something… are you an “iced tea” person? Honestly, I'm not. Though I drink tea on a regular basis, I'm not a tea or chai person at all even though it may be the most frequently consumed beverage after water. I'm through and through a coffee guzzler. But sadly, coffee doesn't agree well with me.
Even though I don't mind the milk tea, I simply cannot have black tea. So the idea of iced tea didn't fascinate me… until now. Jose likes iced tea and he has it from outside sometimes and the one or two times I tasted it, I got weird synthetic taste.
After saying all these things about my dislike for all things tea, I went ahead and made iced tea at home! Well, that's the story of my life. Anyways, I thought I'll just try and see whether the homemade version works for me and guess what – it did!
Well, for starters, it didn't taste synthetic or artificial and it wasn't too sugary like the store bought ones. Also, the addition of spices gave it an extra kick. Not only did I find it ok, I really enjoyed drinking it too.
This is a very simple and easy recipe, which doesn't take much time or effort. You can make it and store in fridge for 1-2 weeks (if it lasts that long). It's very refreshing to have during summer time and also less sugary (compared to readymade drinks).
Believe it or not, this iced tea recipe is actually quite healthy as you’re avoiding all the synthetic stuff. It’s all natural ingredients. In fact iced tea provides more than a refreshing boost, it provides you with a boost in antioxidants, and the Tea Association of USA even states that it could fight cancer. If not, at least it will help you destress and calm your nerves!
To convert this from a mocktail to cocktail – add an ounce of Absolute Vodka to the mix, or if you like a sweeter taste – Malibu Rum ;)
Here is the recipe…
Recipe adapted from here
Ingredients
- 4 Tea bags (Any regular tea bags)
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 4 Cardamom
- 1 piece Cinnamon stick
- 1 pod Star anise (thakolam)
Instructions
- Steep 4 tea bags in 2 cups boiling water, 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Simmer the tea with sugar, honey, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise over low -medium heat until syrupy, 12-15 minutes; strain. Let cool completely and store the syrup in fridge.
- For each drink, mix 1-3 tbsp of syrup (depending on the size of the glass you use) with cold club soda / seltzer; add ice. Stir to combine.
- Serve with a slice of lemon and a few mint leaves, if you wish.
Notes
To convert this from a mocktail to cocktail – add an ounce of Absolute Vodka to the mix, or if you like a sweeter taste – Malibu Rum ;)