Monday, March 8, 2010

Non-Alcoholic Gypsy Strawberry Kiwi Iced Tea

Iced tea is simple: make hot tea and serve it cold. But getting a good tasting batch is harder than it sounds. If you over-steep the tea it becomes bitter, and if you over-dilute it with melting ice it loses it's cooling zing.  To solve this problem brew extra strong tea by using a few extra tea bags (the number will depend on the size of the batch), then stir in the sugar or honey while the tea is hot and chill overnight.  Do NOT add ice.  Instead only add ice right before serving or use frozen strawberries as ice cubes.   
The tea pictured above is Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea which is iced with frozen strawberries, raspberries and cherries, and garnished with a bit of mint from my garden. 


This is a perfect brew for a picnic wedding or outdoor bash and can be served in pretty clear glass pitchers.

Use Lavendar to Garnish


Garnishing your cool non-alcoholic wedding drinks this spring and summer with lavendar.  It immediately adds color and a soft, sweet smell to your wedding drinks.  Whether they are lavendar tea or lemonades, lavendar as a garnish will add that special something to your day.