These Iced Tea Cocktails Are Perfect To Beat The Heat
They say that nothing beats water when it comes to quenching thirst on a hot day. They’re not wrong. But here are some delicious iced tea-based cocktails that come in a very close second!
The Classic Sweet Tea with Bourbon
For this delightful iced tea, you’ll need 30 ml of bourbon, 120 ml of sweet tea, 30 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 15 ml of simple syrup, lemon slices and mint for garnish. First, prepare your sweet tea by boiling some English Breakfast, Darjeeling, or Assam tea bags in water. Add your preferred amount of sugar, honey, or sweetener, and then allow it to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Then, fill a tall glass with ice cubes, pour in the bourbon, sweet tea, lemon juice, and simple syrup, and give it a good stir. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint.
Raspberry Iced Tea Vodka Lemonade
This cooling and refreshing glass requires 30 ml of Smirnoff, 120 ml of raspberry iced tea, 30 ml of lemonade, with fresh raspberries and lemon slices for garnish. First, you’ll need to prepare the raspberry iced tea (a tea bag is fine) and allow it to chill in the fridge for an hour. Similarly, you’ll also have to prepare the lemonade the way you like it best so that you can allow it to cool and it’ll be the perfect temperature when you need it. Once the prep is done, fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the Smirnoff, iced tea and lemonade, and give it a good stir. Garnish it with lemon slices and raspberries. So delicious!
Green Tea Mojito
For this recipe, you’ll need 30 ml of white rum, 120 ml of green tea, 30 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 15 ml of simple syrup, fresh mint leaves and lime wedges for garnish. First, brew your green tea (you can use your preferred green tea, but make sure it isn’t very flavourful in itself. You can also choose a mint green tea as it’ll complement the flavour of the rum) and set in the fridge to chill. In a glass, muddle some mint leaves and lime wedges and then fill it with ice. Pour in your white rum, green tea, and lemonade and give it a stir. Viola! A perfectly chilled glass of iced tea with a twist!
The Peach Tea
For this recipe, you’ll need to prep well in advance as we’ll be using peach-infused vodka. First, cut some slices of peach and allow it to rest in a jar of Smirnoff for four days. Strain it, and you’ll have a lovely flavourful spirit. Then, brew some black tea bags in water and if you have some ready-made peach iced tea powder — chuck it, because we don’t need it! You will also need some ginger ale, so be sure to have some handy. Now, in a tall glass with ice, add 30 ml of the peach-infused vodka. Then add 120 ml of the chilled black tea. Then pour in about 60 ml of ginger ale and garnish with fresh peach slices. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, you can also add a touch of maple syrup — no more than a teaspoon though.
Lavender Earl Grey
This delectable, spiked iced tea calls for 30 ml of London Dry Gin (we recommend Tanqueray or Gordon’s), 120 ml of lavender-infused Earl Grey iced tea, 30 ml of honey syrup (equal part honey and hot water), 15 ml of freshly squeezed lime juice, and for the garnish — a lavender spring plus lemon slices. First, boil some dried lavender sprigs with Earl Grey tea bags and allow the concoction to chill for about an hour. Then, in a tall glass, add some ice, pour in the gin, the iced tea, lime juice, and honey syrup and give it a good stir. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprig of lavender!
You can also make non-alcoholic versions of these iced teas of course. Simply brew about four teabags’ worth of your favourite flavoured tea in half-a-litre of water along with sugar as per your taste. Strain into a jug and set it to chill in the refrigerator. Before serving, top the jug with sparkling water, add some fresh garnishes like lemon, strawberry or mint (ensure it complements your tea’s flavour), and sip away!
