Hi there! It’s summertime and there’s nothing like a refreshing drink when it’s hot out. Typically I prefer a nice, cold Budlight, but I guess I have to mix it up every once in awhile. I found this recipe on Pinterest, here is the link to the original site and recipe: https://sofabfood.com/iced-blackberry-infused-earl-grey-tea/ While not a self-created recipe, I like to share yummy things and this is a simple, healthy treat. Below I’ve reiterated the ingredients and instructions, plus added a couple of my own notes.
Ingredients:
- A couple cups of berries
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey
- 8 bags of Earl Grey tea or 4 tablespoons loose leaf tea
- 5 cups water
- 5 cups ice
- Optional 1/2 cup of cream
Instructions:
- Put half the berries on a tray and freeze them. (I skipped this step because I didn’t have many berries and just stole some frozen berries out of the bag I bought for my smoothies.)
- Put your water on to boil.
- While the water is heating, put the remaining (unfrozen berries) in a bowl and add sugar or honey. I opted for honey here and just approximated it (tried to use less than the 1/2 cup). When I’m able to, I try to avoid using sugar. I prefer natural sweeteners like honey, and I’ve justified this in my head as being healthier.
- Crush/mix up the berries and honey until it’s a jam-like texture.
- This is where I vary from the recipe instructions a bit, once the water started boiling I turned off the heat and added the tea bags (fewer than the recommended number) straight to the pot of water. I also dumped the berry mixture into the hot water. I chose to seep the tea in the same pot I boiled the water, mostly because I’m lazy and wanted to save dishes.
- The recipe is clear to say, don’t seep more than 5 minutes! If it seeps for longer, the tea could get bitter.
- Once your 5 minutes is up, grab a strainer and pour the tea mix through it, and into a pitcher of ice.
- Your tea should cool quickly with the ice.
- When it’s time to serve, throw some of the frozen berries into the infused tea (good tip for keeping tea, or any beverage, cool without watering it down).
- Once the tea is poured in individual cups, add cream to taste. The recipe also mentions adding lavender if you’re so inclined.
Notes:
As always I improvised. Most of the time when I improvise it’s because Jared did the shopping, and well, ya get what ya get. That was the case here. I didn’t have blackberries on hand, so I subbed those out for raspberries. I think this recipe would be good with any berry! I didn’t have the full amount of berries recommended, so I used what I had and it turned out fine with plenty of “infusion”. I also dumped all the cream into the pitcher and put the frozen berries (a combo of raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry) into the mix, not necessarily waiting until it was being served. Once I had my fill, I put the leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge. Since I made it, I have pulled it out when I want a refreshing sip. The cream, tea, and fruit chunks do separate when they sit for an extended period of time. Just shake it up and you’re good to go.
The original site’s tea looks much prettier than mine, but looks aside, still tasty! Enjoy!
Beer in a Martini World 