I’m going crazy for iced tea at the moment – I’m a recent
convert and it’s just the most refreshing thing there is. We love our tea in
this house and we have about 30 different varieties, so I thought I’d try
something a bit unusual, with Twinings Buttermint - if you haven’t tried it,
it’s a rather fabulous combination of mint and vanilla. I mixed it together
with a delicious homemade mint and lemon syrup and the result, served with
loads of ice, is a bit like lemonade turned up to eleven – you’ve got to try
it.
Ingredients
3 Buttermint teabags
1.5l boiling water
For the syrup:
2 lemons
A small handful of fresh mint
120g sugar
100ml boiling water
To serve:
1 lemon, for garnish
Makes 1 large
pitcher
Start by creating the syrup. Zest one of the lemons, and
then juice both of them thoroughly. In a small jug, mix the zest and juice with
the fresh mint (finely chopped), the sugar, and 100ml boiling water. Give it a
really good stir until the sugar has all dissolved, then set aside.
Next, bring 1.5l water to boil in a saucepan. Once it
boils, remove from the heat, add the teabags, and leave for five minutes. When
the time’s up, remove the teabags and pour into a large jug to cool. Important
tip – don’t put it straight in the fridge, as that’s actually counterproductive,
because the heat of the liquid will raise the internal fridge temperature.
Instead, strain the syrup mixture and pour into the jug with the tea, then
leave on one side to cool.
When the tea has hit room temperature, then you can put
it in the fridge. Serve stone cold with slices of lemon and plenty of ice.
Ingredients