There's nothing better than a refreshingly cold glass of Lemon & Lime Iced Tea on a hot summer's day. We've got you covered whether you're prepping ahead of time or need some iced tea in a jiffy. See below for our brewing instructions so you can make a glass of iced tea in the perfect amount of time.
Your Universal ingredients list for tasty Lemon & Lime Cold Brew
The Hot Brewing Method
(or the "quick, the sun's out!" method)
1 Add 1 pitcher tea bag (or 4 scoops of loose leaf tea) to a Tea Pot For Two with 800ml of boiling water.
2 Leave it to brew for 5 minutes.
3 Remove the tea bag, or strain into a pitcher to remove the leaves (if using loose leaf). Leave to cool.
4 Pour 50ml of the hot-brewed tea into your serving glass.
5 Add 100ml of cold water into the glass.
6 Top with 30ml of agave, honey or sugar syrup & 50ml of lemon & lime juice (depending on how good they are, you'd get this from about 2 fruit).
7 Add ice, stir and garnish with a slice.
And there you have it, a little glass of goodness with just a few minutes' preparation.
Who's this method good for? | Anyone in a rush, and anybody who fancies a drink with a little more oomph, as the hot-brewing method will give you a stronger tea taste. This in turn means you end up adding more citrus & sugar to offset that and, consequently, you get yourself a really punchy drink.
How long does it keep for? | If left to cool by itself and then refrigerated, you can use the tea over 48 hours when you fancy getting your mix on.
Jazz it up | Add a sugar crust to the rim of your glass. Run a left over wedge of lemon or lime around the glass edge to help the sugar stick.
The Cold Brewing Method
(or the "we've got all the time in the world" method)
2 Put it in the fridge and leave it to brew for 12-15 hours. (You can experiment here, particularly if you're trying to have this as a straight up - i.e. unsweetened drink -the longer it brews, the more you'll probably want to tame the tannins with fruit juice) and sugar.)
3 Remove the tea bag, or strain the leaves if using loose leaf.
4 Pour 250ml of brewed tea into your serving glass.
5 Add 20ml of agave or honey & the juice of 2 x lemons/limes. Give it a good stir with lots of ice & slices.
Who's this method good for? | The planners amongst us, who've checked the weather forecast and know they're golden for the next couple of days. Anyone having friends over for a BBQ or picnic where it can brew the night before, can be prepped long before any food and left to just get tastier in a jar dispenser or big jug.
How long does it keep for? | You'll have 24 hours of the drink at its best, though we've yet to make it last that long...
Jazz it up | This cold brew is the perfect pitcher drink - just plop everything together into a jug, keep it in the fridge and sip away all day long. Think of this Cold Brew as a Pimms-style base. It'll go with any fruit, but always have a bit of sharp citrus in there.
