Wednesday, July 27, 2011

tea cooler

tea cooler
There's nothing like an icy drink a on a sweltering day. During last week's heat wave I discovered a secret weapon to quench my constant thirst and give me super powers (thank you caffeine!). I made it quite quickly to serve to a friend.  I was just trying to stretch out the lemonade that we had left in the fridge and remembered this beverage I had recently tasted, Tea It Up.  Making it myself meant that I had control of the sweetness factor. It's so easy that I hadn't planned on blogging about it, but upon the first sip we knew I had stumbled upon a winner. In fact, that said friend made sure I took the above photo before we gulped it down.
Make:
  • Steep 3 black tea bags in 4 cups of hot water. 
  • Remove tea bags after 5 -10 minutes. You want it strong, but not bitter. 
  • Chill.
  • Pour tea over ice and add lemonade. Ratio of tea to lemonade~ 3:1
Tea and lemonade... so obvious, right? Turns out I've been drinking a version of it for years on my aunt's front porch...  just never knew what her iced tea's secret ingredients were. So simple! She also adds fresh mint leaves, which I'm definitely trying next.
Do you have any favorite (and easy) summer coolers that you whip up when the temps rise? Pin It
Posted by mayaluna at 6:49 AM Labels:

25 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 27, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    I love cold brewed ice tea. Just throw some tea bags and some sliced organic lemons in a big container with water and let it sit in the frige overnight. Then add juice to taste, I prefer grapejuice.

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  2. Tracey ~ CloverJuly 27, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    The wine of the south! I make a pitcher, sometimes two, everyday, year round. We drink a lot of iced tea down here.

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  3. mayalunaJuly 27, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    That sounds delicious, Heldin! I sometimes put tea in the sun (sun tea), but I've never cold brewed it.

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  4. mayalunaJuly 27, 2011 at 7:07 AM

    Tracey, I love that... "the wine of the south"!

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  5. corinneJuly 27, 2011 at 7:40 AM

    Watermelon and ice in a blender - delish!! I had this in Costa Rica years ago, and it's still a favorite for my kids! Love your blog! xo

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  6. Tanya MurrayJuly 27, 2011 at 7:47 AM

    Genius!

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  7. Jackie @ Fred-and-CissyJuly 27, 2011 at 8:07 AM

    We discovered watermelon and mint juice last summer - fantastic! Like Corinne's idea of adding ice as well though.

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  8. sylviaJuly 27, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    we've been drinking water with sliced lemons (i let it sit in the fridge over night) almost every day. will definitely add some tea over the next days, it sounds good, especially that it gives you superpowers, i need that LOL!

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  9. Crystal@GreenMittensJuly 27, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    LOL, just finished making today's batch of sun tea about 5 minutes ago, and then sat down to catch up on some blogs! I always add lemons and a bit of sugar at the end, when I bring the sun tea jar back inside. yummy!

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  10. PeggyJuly 27, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    You know we used to always have a gallon of tea in the 'fridge but somehow got away from the practice. I do believe I see it making a come back. Currently our drink of choice is either fresh made lemonade with a touch of fresh mint or ice and any manner of fruit blended into a fine ice (watermelon w/ mint, cream of coconut w/ pineapple & banana, kiwi w/ strawberry, and blueberries w/ strawberries or lemonade).

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  11. BunnyJuly 27, 2011 at 10:02 AM

    Maya, this drink is known around my house of sporty guys as an "Arnie Palmer." I hosted a bridal shower in June for my great-niece and for cocktails made Arnie Palmers with a wedge of lemon and a shot of sweet tea vodka. The girls were crazy about them!

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  12. EvaJuly 27, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    I believe this drink is called an Arnold Palmer Tee (he was a golfer, apparently) and is one of my favourite summer drinks! It's fantastic with mint. Fruit-infused water comes in at a close second place in my home. ;) Here's my Arnold Palmer blogpost.

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  13. Nic SquirrellJuly 27, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Mim's punch:
    1/3 pineapple juice with 2/3 ginger ale - sounds horrible but tastes great.

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  14. Vicki K.July 27, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    4 peppermint tea bags and 1 (or 2) black tea bags brewed together. This makes a very refreshing and light ice tea.

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  15. CinnamonJuly 27, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    I usually drink ginger peach black tea with homemade simple syrup for sweetener, but I just stumbled upon a recipe for fermented blueberry syrup (from The Joy of Jams and Jellies by Linda Zeidrich) and I've added a splash of it to a ice cold glass of sparkling water. It's delicious.

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  16. JoeyJuly 27, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    I've been playing with homemade iced tea for years and I've never got it right, I'm going to try this! Thank you!
    My favourite drink is done in the blender. I make it in a 2 cup mason jar (1 pint?) so I don't even dirty a glass!
    1 banana
    about 8 frozen strawberries
    1 tbsp flax oil (optional)
    now fill jar about 1/2 full with orange juice
    1 scoop of protein powder (optional)
    Blend until berries are blended smooth!

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  17. jenJuly 27, 2011 at 11:48 AM

    Love iced tea! So simple, refreshing and cool. Thanks for the newest addition.

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  18. mayalunaJuly 27, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    So much delicious inspiration! Thank you!

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  19. KateJuly 27, 2011 at 2:52 PM

    "Fuzzy Somethings" Soda water with a couple of dashes of bitters and a lemon slice.

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  20. EmilieJuly 27, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    This looks great! I will definitely be trying this drink.
    I just discovered a great summer homemade drink too, for ginger ale... it's so yummy:
    www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/06/homemade-ginger-syrup-for-ginger-ale/

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  21. StephanieJuly 28, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    There's a restaurant near here that makes a drink named after the local river. It made with: Iced Tea - Lemonade - Cranberry Juice. The "muddy color" is the reason it's named after the river. It's not the most attractive beverage, but it's really tasty!

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  22. sarahJuly 28, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Yum. I make Black Tea Lemonade all summer long - I made a version similar to this at various coffeehouses I worked at. It's addicting! Otherwise I'm an iced coffee drinker.

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  23. Vanessa at Rescued GoodsJuly 29, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    Sounds delicious, can't wait to try it. And all of these other drink suggestions, too. Yum!
    Vanessa

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  24. Kitten's Lost Her MittensJuly 31, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    This looks so good! I'll have to try it. I recently blogged about a mint/lemon water I love to make in the summer:
    http://kittenslosthermittens.blogspot.com/2011/06/cool-drink-for-hot-days-or-how-to-drink.html

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  25. JessicaNovember 21, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    Iced tea (of all varieties) and Arnold Palmers are a summer essential. Thank you for the recipe!

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