Very Berry Iced Tea with Honey Mint Syrup

Ingredients

For the Tea:

• 8 Tetley Green and Black tea bags
• 8 cups cold water, divided
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

For the Mint Syrup:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups mint leaves, coarsely chopped
• 6 Tbsp lemon juice (takes approximately 1 & 1/2 lemons)

For the Muddled Fruit:

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tsp sugar

Garnish:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Mint

Preparation

Boil 4 cups of water; turn off heat as soon as water starts to boil and add tea bags and baking soda; let steep for 5 minutes. Put 4 cups cold water in a pitcher and add the tea. Refrigerate until cold.
To Make the Honey Mint Syrup:
Combine sugar, honey, water, mint leaves and lemon juice in a medium size pan over medium heat; stirring well until all of the sugar and honey is dissolved. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes to extract mint flavor; remove from heat and cool thoroughly.
To Make the Muddled Fruit:
Put the strawberries and blueberries into a medium bowl and gently muddle with a muddler or a large spoon. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar, mix well and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
To Prepare the Tea:
Spoon 1/4 cup of fruit and juices into the bottom of a tall glass. Fill the glass with ice and pour tea into glass until about an inch from the top.
Measure 2-3 Tbsps of the Honey Mint Syrup into the tea and stir to combine. Garnish with mint, strawberries and blueberries.

Limoncello and Prosecco Cooler with Raspberry Ice Cubes

Ingredients

• Fresh raspberries (approximately 5 per cocktail)
• A couple of sprigs of mint
• 4 oz cold sparkling wine or lemon flavored sparkling mineral water
• 2 oz Limoncello liqueur, cold (I keep mine in the freezer; it doesn't freeze because of the alcohol content)

Preparation

1. Put your glasses in the freezer if possible, or at least the fridge so that they are cold.
2. Put the raspberries on a plate; separated from each other and place in the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving time
3. Gently 'smush' a couple of small mint leaves and add to each glass along with 5-6 of the frozen raspberry ice cubes.
4. Add limoncello, then the sparkling wine or water.

Orange Mango Iced Tea

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold water
• 4 regular tea bags
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 (11.5 fluid ounce) cans Mango Nectar (I used Kern’s brand)
• 1 large orange – cut in half, sliced

Method

In tea pot bring water to a boil over high heat. remove from heat. pour into heat safe pourable pitcher, add tea bags and sugar and let steep 3 minutes. squeeze and remove tea bags. stir sugar until dissolved. let cool.
meanwhile: in medium – large pitcher add mango nectar and orange slices. set aside.
pour sweetened tea into the pitcher with the mango nectar and oranges. stir well. refrigerate until chilled. fill glasses with ice and pour orange mango ice tea into each glass.