An interesting iced tea recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I had a hard time finding Irish Breakfast Tea, as most places on had EnglishBreakfast Tea…apparently, there is a difference. I did eventually find Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea at the World Market. It is a full-bodied, brisk, malty brew typically served with milk or lemon. The Irish drink this tea throughout the day, hence the morning-afternoon-night name.

Though it is a blend of several black teas, including Ceylon and Assam, you could easily substitute Assam and forgo the search. The original recipe calls for 4 tea bags and 8 cups of water, steeping for 30 minutes. I used 6 tea bags and 8 cups of water, steeping for 15 minutes. I like my tea nice and strong.

4-6 Irish Breakfast (or Assam) tea bags
8 cups boiling water
1/3 cup honey, or more to taste
2 cups milk
lemon wedges, for garnish

Pour boiling water over tea bags in a heat-resistant pitcher. Steep 15-30 minutes, or to desired strength. Remove tea bags and stir in honey. Allow tea to cool to room temperature and then chill for 1-2 hours.

Stir in milk once tea is chilled. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon.

The best I can describe this iced tea is slightly sweet, mild, and very refreshing!

Based on the Homemade Chai Mix, I created this mixture by adding vanilla and ginger flavors to my morning chai. I’m also submitting this as Gingerama Recipe #10!

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Combine all ingredients in a small dish with cover. Store overnight in refrigerator before using.

To make a cup of chai: brew a cup of strong, black tea such as Assam or Darjeeling. Use 2 teabags for every 1 1/2 cups water and steep for at least 5 minutes. Remove teabags and stir in 2-3 spoonfuls of chai mixture (per 1 1/2 cups brewed tea).

I prefer to strain my chai before drinking because the spices do not dissolve and sediment (for lack of a better work) will fall to the bottom of the glass.

Chai can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for approx 2 weeks.

Here is another recipe from Simply in Season that uses fresh mint and orange flavors. While it sounded and looked tasty, I found the taste reminded me a bit too much of drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. It could be because I made my mint brew stronger than the recipe recommended. It wasn’t sour, but didn’t quite taste like my cup of tea (pun intended).

3 cups water
5-6 sprigs fresh mint, well rinsed
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon
water and ice
mint sprigs or thin slices of orange or lemon, for garnish

Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add mint, cover, and steep for 15 minutes or longer. Remove mint.

Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Concentrate may be cooled and frozen for later use.

In a 2 liter (half gallon) pitcher, combine orange and lemon juice. Add mint concentrate plus water and ice to fill pitcher. Chill completely. Serve with garnishes as desired.

From BellyBytes.com, this iced tea recipe uses orange pekoe tea, fresh basil, and peach nectar.  The original recipes calls for 3 teabags, but I like my tea strong, so I used 4.

4 bags orange pekoe tea
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 cups water
3 1/3 cups chilled peach nectar (five, 5 1/2 oz cans)
1/4 cup chilled simple syrup, or to taste (see below)
fresh peach slices and basil sprigs, for garnish

Put tea bags and basil in a heat resistant pitcher. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea for 5-10 minutes and remove tea bags. Cool tea and chill, covered, for about 1 hour or until cold.

Stir in chilled nectar and simple syrup. Place peach slices and ice in each glass. Pour in tea and top with a basil sprig.   

Simple Syrup:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water

To make Simple Syrup:
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring. Boil until sugar dissolves. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Simple Syrup will keep for 2 weeks. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

Here is another summer thirst-quencher, combining the seasonal flavors of blueberry and cucumber with orange juice and honey. This fresh and fruity recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine.

3 cups fresh orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 pint fresh blueberries (frozen can be substituted)
1 medium cucumber

Cut cucumber into chunks. Combine with blueberries, orange juice, and honey in a blender. Process until smooth. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a medium bowl, pressing solids with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to squeeze out juice. Discard solids.

Serve in tall glasses over ice. Makes 4 servings.