It's unofficially summer, now that school is out and Memorial Day has passed. And according to the calendar, that seasonal change is almost the real deal, too.
So it’s tea time, folks — iced tea time, that is.
While the classic black tea with lots of ice, a squeeze of lemon, and maybe some sugar is always refreshing, there are as many variations on the theme as there are tea leaves in China.
Many varie-teas, so to speak.
Perhaps mint or fruit-flavored options are your cup of tea?
Maybe you fancy a par-tea with cooling cucumber sandwiches and strawberries and cream as accompaniments?
Or how about a brew-tiful batch of sun tea, steeped outside to soak up some rays?
We’re offering five tea-rrific choices for you today: sweet, creamy iced chai; a fizzy float; peachy keen sorbet; a lemon-tea Arnold Palmer with a kick, and a riff on the famous Long Island iced tea (we’ve transported it to New England).
If you’re thirs-tea during the summer, there’s very little in life that’s nicer than a cuppa tea — with plenty of ice, of course.
Thai Iced Chai
This sweet, creamy drink with rich condensed and tropical coconut milks is like having your beverage and dessert all in one, with a pinch of spice added to liven things up. Note that chai is the Hindi word for tea, so saying “chai tea” is redundant, like saying “tea tea.”
4 cups water
6 tea bags (a mix of black and Constant Comment)
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons chai spices
Ice cubes
Sweetened condensed milk
Coconut milk
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then add the tea bags and remove the saucepan from the heat. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
Add the sugar and spices to the tea, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then let it cool to room temperature. Pour the tea into a carafe and refrigerate until cold.
When ready to serve, fill 4 glasses with ice cubes. Divide the tea among the glasses.
Add splashes of the sweetened condensed milk and the coconut milk to each of the glasses; do not stir. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Iced Tea Float
Root beer and vanilla ice cream are likely the first things you think of when you hear the word float. (We’re partial to a version made with strawberry ice cream and ginger ale, too.) But why are ice cream and carbonated beverages the only ingredients invited to dance together? Put a splash of lemon in your iced tea by making a float with refreshingly tart sorbet. And you can even add that familiar fizz with a dash of lemon-lime soda, too.
4 cups water
2 Earl Grey tea bags
¼ cup sugar
1 pint lemon sorbet
Lemon-lime soda
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then add the tea bags and remove the saucepan from the heat. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags. Stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved.
Let the tea cool to room temperature, then pour it into a large lidded jar and refrigerate until cold.
When ready to serve, place scoops of sorbet into tall glasses. Pour the tea over the sorbet, leaving a bit of room at the top. Top off the glasses with soda to create some fizz, then serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Peach Sweet Tea Sorbet
The South is famous for its sweet tea, and fresh peaches absolutely scream summer. Why not combine the two into a quintessential cooler to help us deal with the seasonal heat?
2½ cups bottled peach tea
¾ cup sugar
2 fresh peaches, chopped
½ cup water
Bring the peach tea to a boil in a small saucepan, then stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved. Let the tea cool to room temperature.
In a food processor, purée the peaches with the water, leaving a few small tidbits of visible fruit. Stir the peach purée into the tea and place the mixture into a freezer-safe container.
Place the container into the freezer. Every hour, stir the mixture to break up the ice granules until the mixture is completely frozen.
To serve, let the sorbet sit out for 10 minutes, then scoop it into serving dishes. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Boozy Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer is famous both for his success on the golf course and for his preferred drink of iced tea mixed with lemonade. To make it a cocktail, vodka is usually added. But we gave it a little extra spin by using the Italian liqueur limoncello for more lemony flavor.
4 cups water
2 black tea bags
¼ cup simple syrup (see note)
Crushed ice
1 cup prepared lemonade, chilled
½ cup limoncello
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then add the tea bags and remove the saucepan from the heat. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags. Stir in the simple syrup, then let the tea cool to room temperature. Pour the tea into a carafe and refrigerate until chilled.
When ready to serve, fill 4 glasses with crushed ice. Divide the tea among the glasses.
Combine the lemonade and limoncello; divide among the glasses, then serve immediately.
Note: To prepare simple syrup, simply bring a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature, then keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
Boston Iced Tea Party
Everyone’s heard of the famous Long Island Iced Tea that has no actual tea, just lots of liquor with a splash of cola for color. There are also variations, such as a Texas Tea with bourbon or a Tokyo Tea with Midori melon liqueur and Mountain Dew. While we thought a Detroit version, with either Vernor’s or Faygo Rock and Rye, sounded good too, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to invite Boston’s legendary root beer-ish Moxie — proudly proclaiming itself “the first bottled carbonated beverage in America” — to this tea party.
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces gin
2 ounces dark rum
2 ounces gold tequila
2 ounces triple sec
Moxie (see note)
Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes.
Combine the liquors in a jar, then divide the mixture among the prepared glasses. Top each off with Moxie and serve immediately.
Note: Moxie is available at the Fresh Market, 3315 Central Ave.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu
First Published June 12, 2022, 4:00 p.m.
