Tweak Your Tea - 3 Easy Iced Tea Recipes

Nothing says refreshing more than a glass of ice-cold iced tea! Now that the warm weather seems like it’s here to stay, it’s time to dust off the patio furniture and get summer-ready with our drinks! I’ve partnered with Pure Leaf Iced Tea and Pure Leaf Canada to show you some of the ways you can get creative and tweak your tea!

Apart from water, coffee, and wine (!), iced tea is actually one of my favourite things to drink. I just haven’t been able to find a great tasting iced tea that doesn’t have all the calories or artificial sweeteners to go along with it. That’s why I’m so glad I found Pure Leaf Iced Tea – it’s made from real tea leaves and contains zero calories, zero sugar, and zero artificial sweeteners, all while not compromising on flavour!

It’s yummy enough to drink on its own, or can be a blank canvas to create whatever drink concoctions you want. And, if you’re looking for the perfect mixer for your cocktails, look no further. Pure Leaf Iced Tea is better than soda, diet soda, and club soda, since it has no sugar, no artificial sweeteners, and has all the flavour.

Today, I’ll be showing you how to make 3 super simple recipes using 3 flavours of Pure Leaf Iced Tea:

Citrus herb iced tea;
Spiked ginger green iced tea; and
Bubbly melon berry iced tea.

If you’ve ever tried to make iced tea at home before, you know how long it can take. The beauty of using Pure Leaf Iced Tea is that you can make all of these recipes in under 10 minutes – no steeping tea bags and chilling in the fridge for several hours necessary. Just add your ingredients, pour, and serve on ice!

1. CITRUS HERB ICED TEA

Here’s what you’ll need:

Lemon flavoured Pure Leaf Iced Tea (547 mL bottle)
1 Lemon
1/2 Grapefruit
Basil or Rosemary
Ice cubes

Steps:

Cut the lemon and grapefruit into round slices, about 1/4 inch thick per slice, and line the slices around the inside of a pitcher
Either chop the rosemary finely and add to taste or garnish using 1 or 2 stalks
Add ice cubes
Pour iced tea into pitcher, chill to desired temperature (before the ice cubes melt), stir, and serve

2. SPIKED GINGER GREEN ICED TEA

Here’s what you’ll need:

Green Tea flavoured Pure Leaf Iced Tea (547 mL bottle)
Vodka, about 2 oz. per 547 mL
1 Lime
Ginger
Mint, about 5 leaves and 1 additional sprig
Ice cubes
Optional: granulated white sugar

Steps:

Cut the lime into round slices, about 1/4 inch thick per slice, and add to a pitcher
Cut about 3 or 4 slices of ginger, or grate the ginger, if you want more of a spicy flavour
Add mint leaves, vodka and ice cubes
Pour iced tea into pitcher and chill to desired temperature (before the ice cubes melt)
Add sprig of mint for garnish, stir, and serve

Note: for this recipe, you can also do a take on a mojito (you can either sub rum for the vodka or stick with the vodka). To do this, add about 5 or 6 mint leaves, 1 or 2 slices of lime, and 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar to the bottom of the pitcher, and then muddle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, then you could use the bottom of a wooden spoon or another utensil that has a blunt end (I use the bottom of a large whisk).

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2. BUBBLY MELON BERRY ICED TEA

Here’s what you’ll need:

Regular Pure Leaf Iced Tea (547 mL bottle)
Chilled Prosecco or Champagne
1/4 Watermelon
6 Strawberries (you could also use raspberries or any other berries that you like)
5-6 Mint leaves
Ice cubes

Steps:

Cut the watermelon into cubes and add to a pitcher
Cut the strawberries into 1/4 inch thick slices and add to pitcher
Add mint leaves and ice cubes to pitcher
Pour iced tea and chill to desired temperature (before the ice cubes melt)
Add chilled prosecco or champagne just before you’re ready to serve, stir, and serve

Note: if you miss the sweetness in any of these recipes, add either honey or simple syrup (I use a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part sugar for my simple syrup). Both dissolve easily and won’t give you the graininess of white or brown sugar. Agave is another option that is healthier than simple syrup or honey.