It’s the start of iced tea season chez Diana. The past few days have been so muggy that in the afternoon I’ve been dying to take a nap instead of sitting at my computer editing photos or sending invoices to clients. Which is where the need for icy caffeinated drinks comes in.
During the summer I usually keep a liter of iced tea in the fridge. If I’m feeling lazy on tea-making day, I just steep and chill some black tea. If I need to satisfy my sweet tooth, I whip up some bracing Southern-style sweet tea. And if I happen to eye some very nice-looking berries at the market, which is what happened this time, I’ll make a fruity tea concoction.
Blueberries, lemon, and mint. Could there be a more refreshing-sounding trio? Making the blueberry mint iced tea is relatively easy: just boil the blueberries for about 5 minutes and mash them up with a spoon, stir in some lemon juice and sugar, add mint to steep, and mix it with brewed green tea. (And be generous with the mint!)
This recipe makes about 8 cups, though if they days continue to be this muggy, I might just double or triple the recipe.
Now, on to the fridge to pour myself another glass…
- 4 cups blueberries (about 2 dry pints)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 cup roughly torn fresh mint
- 1 cup sugar, plus more to taste
- 4 bags green tea
- In a medium pot, combine the blueberries with 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook the blueberries for 5 minutes, using a large spoon to mash up the berries. Stir in the lemon juice, mint, and sugar. Allow the mixture to simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes so the mint flavor infuses. Remove from the heat and strain the blueberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Set the blueberry syrup aside.
- In another small pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Steep the green tea bags in the water for 5 to 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
- Stir the blueberry syrup and the green tea together in a pitcher. Adjust the sweetness with more sugar if you’d like. Chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve in individual glasses with plenty of ice. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Love this! It looks so refreshing!
OMG. I need to get blueberries right now.
I do something very similar with strawberries. You’re right, it’s a must have for summer!
I just tried it out and it was so good and refreshing. It was perfect for hot muggy Florida weather!
This looks delicious! The hot weather hasn’t quite hit my neck of the woods yet (South East England) but when it does I’ll be making this!
Lovely photos too. Thanks for posting, Diana.
Found this recipe yesterday; made it the same day! It’s delicious!
this sounds very delicious but I think I would even try it with Lipton ice tea bags. Mmm.
Thank you! I made a big batch tonight for an outdoor garden party we were hosting and everyone loved it! Looking forward to trying more of your drink recipes.