Iced Tea Recipes To Try This Summer

National Iced Tea Day is fast approaching on June 10^th.

This is the perfect time of year to start drinking iced drinks of all types, but summer iced tea recipes are some of the best around to quench your thirst and to cool down on those long, hot summer days.

Whether you go for a nostalgic and simple lemon iced tea, or you want to try something a little bit different, there are loads of great recipes out there for you to make the most of.

What is National Iced Tea Day?

The history of iced tea as we know it today begins in the USA, with the first known recipe for iced tea found in The Buckeye Cookbook in 1877, after a decade or more of iced tea being a beverage in America.

To this day, if you talk about tea in America, it is assumed you are talking about iced tea unless you otherwise specifically state that you mean hot tea.

There are many different flavours of iced tea, from lemon to strawberry, to peach, lime, cherry, and any combination of fruits that you want to try together.

Each summer iced tea recipe will bring together a unique taste, so why not try out a few different recipes? We’ll get on to these later!

Benefits Of Drinking Iced Tea

There are a few good reasons to start drinking iced tea in the summer months, aside from it just being a delicious drink that everyone should love!

Here’s just a few reasons why…

• Stay hydrated – In the summer, it is thought that after a glass of water, an iced tea is the second-best source of hydration that you can consume, due to the antioxidants!
• A healthy alternative to carbonated drinks – If you are looking to cut down fizzy drinks, iced tea is the best alternative.
• This is because it doesn’t lead to bloating and doesn’t have the same high levels of sugar as some carbonated drinks on the market.
• Stay alert – Iced tea contains less caffeine that coffee but does have enough in it for you to stay alert during the day, especially at times when you might feel energy-sapped from the heat.
• Boost your antioxidants – There are more antioxidants in tea than in fruit, so when you’re making an iced tea with fruit, it can only be a good thing. This also helps to reduce your stress levels.

The Tastiest Summer Iced Tea Recipes

Are you looking to try out some new iced tea recipes this summer?

Below we’ve listed a few of the tastiest which you won’t want to miss out on!

1. Simple Iced Tea Recipe

Before you think about different combinations of flavours, you need a solid simple iced tea recipe.

What type of tea bag should I use? For a classic iced tea, you can use regular tea bags.

It gives you a clear base from which to experiment with different levels of sweetness and flavour profiles.

Other teas that work well include earl grey, green tea, and chamomile.

Ingredients:

• 6 tea bags
• 2 tablespoons of caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon of runny honey
• 3 small lemons, 2 juiced and 1 sliced.
• 1 sliced orange
• Small bunch of mint
• Ice to serve.

Method:

• Pour 1.5 litres of boiling water over the 6 tea bags, stirring in the sugar and honey. Leave this to infuse for 10 minutes, strain, and move to the fridge to cool.
• Pour the chilled tea into a jug, stir in the lemon juice, slices of lemon and orange, and mint.
• Fill the rest of the jug with ice and stir.

If you want to sweeten your iced tea, a simple sugar syrup is easy to do and you can make enough to bottle and store and add to future jugs of iced tea that you make!

2. Flavoured Iced Tea

If you want to add some flavour to your iced tea, this simple base of iced tea allows you to experiment with a few different ideas, including:

• Herbs – Add mint, basil, kaffir lime leaves, lemon thyme, and other herbs that bring extra aromatics to your tea.
• Fruits – There are so many fruit choices depending on your taste, you can add strawberries, watermelon, peaches, apricots, and a range of citrus fruits for a fruity iced tea punch of flavour.
• Elderflower – Fresh elderflower, submerged in your iced tea and left to infuse is a fantastic way to add a lovely flavour to your tea.

3. Earl Grey Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea is a Taiwanese recipe that blends tea with milk, fruit, fruit juices, and little tasty tapioca pearls.

It has become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years and can be served hot or cold.

If you want to make your own, here is a Twinings Earl Grey Bubble Tea recipe:

List of ingredients:

• 32g of dried Boba Tapioca Pearls per serving
• 2 Earl Grey Tea Bags
• 1 glass of milk, almond milk, or condensed milk
• Splash of fruit juice

Method:

• Cook the Boba in a saucepan, using 480ml of water for every 32 grams of Boba. Add the Boba to boiling water and stir until the pearls float to the top.
• Turn to medium heat and cook for 12-15 minutes, remove from heat, cover, and sit for another 12-15 minutes.
• To make the sugar syrup, bring 120ml of water to boil, remove from the heat and stir in 150g of sugar until dissolved.
• Prepare a strong cup of tea using the 2 tea bags.
• Once the Boba has finished cooking, drain and transfer to a small bowl. Pour over the syrup and sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Pour the tea into a tall glass and add the Boba, followed by the milk for a creamy Bubble tea, fruit juice for a fruity tea, or leave plain.

4. Long Island Iced Tea

If you’re wanting to level up your iced tea drink choices this summer, why not try whipping up a long island recipe?

This ultimate party cocktail is one of the world’s most popular drinks and consists of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, triple sec, simple syrup, and lemon juice.

Whilst this recipe doesn’t actually contain any iced tea (spoiler!), it’s similar and is an alcoholic twist to the classic summer drink.

If you want to create an actual combination of iced tea and alcohol, you could throw in some shots of your favourite tipples to make a great alcoholic iced tea, such as Pimm’s or gin!

What is your favourite summer iced tea recipe? Let us know what you like to make, and whether you’ve been adventurous and tried something different this summer @universalstudentliving.

There are few better things in life than sitting down with a cool and delicious iced tea in the communal area of your student apartments after a hard day of work, or on a day off when the weather is delightful and hot.

Read next: The Benefits Of Drinking Herbal Tea For Young People.