Home- made Lemonade and Iced Tea

[mechtilde]

A big US doughnut chain has recently started opening stores near us, and I love their home-made lemonade.

How do I make lemonade at home? Or iced tea? We don't really make them here.

Thanks!

[Layla Miller]

This is the recipe I use for lemonade.  It's more sweet than tart, so you may wish to play around with the amounts of sugar and/or lemon juice to suit yourself.  I just buy the lemon juice, but if you were so inclined you could buy lemons and juice them.

1-1/3 c sugar
1 c lemon juice
7 c water

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 6 cups water.

[Zilla]

The secret to iced tea for me anyhow is a pinch of baking soda.  It makes it sweeter and not needing as much sugar. 


It's based on taste so adjust sugar up or down.


1/2 cup of sugar
4 cups of water
pinch of baking soda


2 Quart pitcher, heat safe if not then a heat safe bowl that can hold 2 quarts of liquid.
enough tea bags for 2 quarts of tea. (it depends on what brand type you buy etc so look at the directions)


I boil in a saucepan the 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup of sugar along with the pinch of baking soda.  Stir.  As soon as it boils, remove from heat.  Let cool 5 minutes then add tea bags.  Let it steep for exactly 5 minutes on the timer.  Remove with slotted spoon and squeeze excess.  Pour into pitcher (or bowl) and fill with cool water till the full 2 quarts.  Serve with lots of ice.


Lemonade, I do 1/2 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of fresh squeeze lemon juice in a 2 quart pitcher of water.  I don't boil but use room temperature water to dissolve the sugar.

[Dalek]

What type of iced tea are you wanting to make? There's a ton of varieties in the US depending on the region. :-)

[onyonryngs]

I found a good how to video: http://beverage-recipes.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-healthy-ice-tea-from-scratch-185308/ 

Here's the lemonade one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COx5Bf0PsQs

[Dalek]

Here's a good one!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/long-island-iced-tea-recipe/index.html

[fountainsoflettuce]

For iced tea, take your tea bag and let it seep in water of any temperature that is less than "hot". When finished, add some ice cubes. 

For lemonade, juice several lemons, add water, add sugar or simple syrup to taste.  This is the absolute basic version. 

[Hmmmmm]

Oh my, you are going to end up with lots of iced tea recipes. I don't drink sweet iced tea but I do make it for company and my kids as they like it.  Here's mine

Boil 2 cups water with a pinch of baking soda in a pan.  Disolve in 3/4 cups caster (also called granulated or white) sugar. If using black tea (in the US, Pekoe is the most common for iced tea), add 5* tea bags immediately to the boiled water and steep for about 10 minutes.  (If using green tea, don't heat the water to boiling but just under boiling). 

Pour mixture in a 2 quart picture.  Add an additional 4 cups of cold water.  Serve over ice or refrigerate until cold.  I won't drink iced tea that has set for more then a day.

*If you are using loose leave tea, add enough to make 5 cups of hot tea. 

If it's too sweet, reduce the sugar next time.  If too strong, reduce steeping time or reduce down to 4 tea bags. 

To me, lemonade is such a personal taste on how tart or sweet you like it and how tart your lemons are, that I'm hesitant to give a recipe.  The only advice I have is to make a few cups of sugar water  and let it chill, squeeze your lemons, put the lemon juice into a picture and start adding sugar water till you get it to the tartness/sweetness that you like.    Here's a link to a basic recipe.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_lemonade/

[PastryGoddess]

I make Hot Tea, then Ice it.  I simply can't stand the taste of cold brewed tea and it really doesn't take much longer to make it. 

My General Recipes: Makes a gallon

If using a black or strongly flavored tea like peppermint
10-15 teabags
1/2 gallon of boiling water or fill container between half - 3/4 full of hot water
Sweeten to your taste.  You'll need to over sweeten just a bit in order to compensate for the additional water you'll be adding
Let steep for about 10 min
Add Ice and cold water to top off.  If you have time just add ice and let it melt.  Otherwise the cold water helps to cool it down faster

If using green tea increase teabags to 12-17 since it's not as strong.

[blarg314]

One simple way of making iced tea is to make hot tea and let it chill. You can also make extra strong hot tea and pour it over ice (the melting ice dilutes it, and chills it more quickly).

If you want sweet iced tea, you should either dissolve the sugar when it's still hot, or use a liquid sugar to add later (the latter is better if multiple people are drinking it). You can make a simple syrup with equal parts water and white sugar, heated until the water dissolves.   A little bit of lemon juice is often added.

Then there's Canadian iced tea. Buy tin of Lipton's lemon iced tea mix, spoon into cup and mix with water.

Where I live, iced tea is often made with oolong, green or jasmine tea, which is really, really good, and excellent unsweetened. A mix of half green tea and half mint tea is very tasty as well.

[magicdomino]

Here's a good one!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/long-island-iced-tea-recipe/index.html

Somehow, I don't think that is the kind of iced tea that Mechtilde is looking for.  It is good stuff, though.   

[mechtilde]

Here's a good one!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/long-island-iced-tea-recipe/index.html

Somehow, I don't think that is the kind of iced tea that Mechtilde is looking for.  It is good stuff, though.   

Oh I looove that kind!

I do have one query about the type of tea- what sort should I use? A strong flavoured Indian type? A more delicate China tea? What gives better results? Does that very by region as well?

[PastryGoddess]

Here's a good one!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/long-island-iced-tea-recipe/index.html

Somehow, I don't think that is the kind of iced tea that Mechtilde is looking for.  It is good stuff, though.   

Oh I looove that kind!

I do have one query about the type of tea- what sort should I use? A strong flavoured Indian type? A more delicate China tea? What gives better results? Does that very by region as well?

I think a strong flavored indian type would work well.  I don't recommend using an expensive tea either.  Drunk cold most black/green/oolong tea tends to taste the same. Don't bother with white teas.   I have found that Jasmine tea tastes divine when iced. 

[blarg314]

I think a strong flavored indian type would work well.  I don't recommend using an expensive tea either.  Drunk cold most black/green/oolong tea tends to taste the same. Don't bother with white teas.   I have found that Jasmine tea tastes divine when iced.

I think it depends on the variety and quality of tea you can get. I live in oolong growing territory, and there can be a big difference in varieties, even when iced. And the price is such that I can use really good tea for iced.

But yeah, in general, you don't need to spend as much on tea for iced tea as for drinking hot (although that depends somewhat on the level of tea you drink hot.)

[lady_disdain]

Mint tea is fabulous iced on a very hot day.