Raspberry ice tea
Have you ever read the label on the side of a bottle of iced tea? Or an iced tea-style beverage from a high-street coffee shop? I’m thinking specifically of the sugar content. I’ll save you the time, it’s pretty horrifying.
My alternative is to make it at home. This raspberry ice tea is the perfect summer soft drink and both has fruit in it and is light on sugar.
OK, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us who haven’t been living under a rock over the last few years that lots of drinks have sugar in them. But recently I was looking around a shop for a cold drink that wasn’t packed with the white stuff or in a single-use plastic bottle. I came away empty handed.
It got me thinking about options I could make for something different to drink as an alternative to sugary or boozy summer tipple. And I came back to raspberry ice tea (or raspberry iced tea, if you prefer).
As someone who is trying to not be such a greedy b*****d these days, I’ve been thinking about interesting things to drink more and more. Especially through the week or if I’m going somewhere at the weekend but need to drive afterwards. Sometimes it’s really hard not accidentally eat your month’s recommended intake of sugar in a single afternoon.
For this ice tea, I’ve opted for the really simple method. Put stuff in a big jar, shake and then leave in the fridge overnight. It’s a really simple, but also pretty effective method. Similar to how I make cold brew coffee, it means all you have to do when you want to drink it is strain it over ice.
Raspberry is also the perfect flavour for ice tea. It’s naturally sweet, but when you add in a little lime juice there’s also a little bit of zestiness so it never gets too sweet. Also, my kitchen windowsill is pretty much drowning in mint plants (such a struggle…) just now, so I’ve also been adding a layer of freshness too.
This time of year is also perfect for raspberries. It’s the time of year where you can justifiably sit with punnets of fruit and call it dinner. I’ve been picking up fruit on the way home a couple of times a week from the little farm stall on my drive home (yes, I’ve become that person and I have zero regrets).
However you’re spending summer, have some iced tea with it. Given the 90s throwback playlist I’m currently listening to perhaps that should be Ice Up Your Life!
Other summer soft drinks
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Raspberry ice tea
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 litre 1x
Description
Looking for a recipe for ice tea that tastes great and is low in sugar? This is where you need to be. It’s also a great way to use up leftover raspberries.
Ingredients
- 6 rooibos tea bags
- 1L of cold water
- 2 handfuls of raspberries (plus more to garnish, optional)
- 1 tsp of runny honey (optional)
- 10-12 mint leaves
- 1tsp lime juice
Instructions
Take your teabags and put them in a large, sealable container (I’ve been using a 1.5L glass jar), pour the water on top of the tea bags. Add in the raspberries, mint, lime juice and honey (if using). Seal the container and shake gently to mix everything together. Leave in the fridge for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.
When you want to drink it, shake gently once again and strain directly into glasses over ice. Garnish with raspberries or mint and serve immediately.
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: raspberry ice tea
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You’re right, those shop bought ones are sooooooooo sweet and no need for it. Every time I come back from the States I promise I’ll make more (i.e. some) Iced Tea, and never really do… Must change that!
I was thinking the exact same, which is why (having very recently) come back from the States I did! Definitely recommend it, no crazy sweetness here.