Raspberry Peach Iced Tea Lemonade (Printable)
A vibrant fusion of sweet peaches, tart raspberries, and classic black tea with zesty lemonade.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit Syrup
01 - 1 cup fresh raspberries
02 - 2 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1/2 cup water
→ Tea and Lemonade Base
05 - 4 black tea bags
06 - 4 cups boiling water
07 - 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
08 - 3/4 cup honey or agave syrup (adjust to taste)
→ Assembly
09 - Ice cubes
10 - Extra raspberries and peach slices, for garnish
11 - Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
# Steps:
01 - In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, peach slices, sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves and the fruit softens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids and let the syrup cool completely.
02 - Pour the boiling water over the tea bags in a heatproof pitcher. Steep for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature.
03 - Add the cooled tea, freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey or agave syrup, and the prepared fruit syrup to a large pitcher. Stir thoroughly until well blended. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as desired.
04 - Refrigerate the combined mixture for at least 1 hour, or until thoroughly chilled.
05 - Fill serving glasses with ice cubes and pour the chilled iced tea lemonade over the ice. Garnish each glass with fresh raspberries, peach slices, and mint leaves.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The fruit syrup is liquid gold and once you make it you will want to drizzle it over everything from pancakes to yogurt.
- It walks the line between sweet tea and lemonade so perfectly that even people who claim they do not like iced tea become converts.
02 -
- Do not skip straining the syrup because those seeds will ruin the silky texture and catch in your teeth at the worst moments.
- Taste the final mixture warm before chilling because cold mutes sweetness and once it is cold you cannot fix it easily.
03 -
- Roll each lemon firmly on the counter before juicing and you will get nearly twice as much liquid out of it.
- A pinch of salt in the fruit syrup sounds wrong but it amplifies the peach flavor in a way that will make people ask what your secret is.