Friday Drinks and Frozen Day ♥♥

With the weather getting warmer  and warmer everyday, I think we could all agree that we need something that will cool us off and keep us feeling refresh. Since it is Summer, I am making a seasonal post just for the Summer season and this will happen on Fridays. I am calling it Friday Drinks and Frozen Day 🙂 The post will mostly be about Summer drinks and frozen treats to keep up cool and comfy during the Summer season. If it is not Summer where you are right now, do not worry because you can always go back and search for these recipes whenever Summer arrives in your area or you are just feeling to get chilled. Some of the drinks that I am sharing here can be made any day of the year, i say bring the ice cream out on Winter 🙂

For our Friday Drink Day, we are making Raspberry & Dragon Fruit Lemonade. This is almost like a natural iced tea made from raspberry flavored tea, with a special added flavor from fresh lemon, raspberry and dragon fruit and sweetened by honey. It is simple to make, it is very light and refreshing and it cost less. A budget friendly homemade ice tea is the best way to go. You will be surprised how easy it is to make this drink, and it is 100% better than the one that you can buy at cafe and restaurant.

Here is a short video on how to make the base iced lemonade. You can boil the tea bags or you can simply steep it for few minutes or as per your tea bags instructions. There are some tea that are quite strong, and there are some tea that are mild so the steeping time matters.

Refreshing ♥♥♥

With the hot summer weather we are currently having, all I can think of is to drink and drink and drink. I just want something refreshing to drink, something light and non-carbonated too. Summer is the time of the year when coffee shops big or small starts promoting more and more cold ice tea drinks or different flavors and variations. I favor this kind of drink over pop or carbonated drinks because I find cold fruity tea drinks more refreshing and light.

Tea Basics: What is the Correct Way to Brew Tea?

Water temperature and steeping time could vary depending on the tea variety. Here is basic tea variety chart and their corresponding steeping time and temperature.

• White Tea – Water Temp: 180F, Steeping Time: 3-8 minutes
• GreenTea – Water Temp: 180F, Steeping Time: 1-3 minutes
• Oolong Tea – Water Temp: 180F – 212F, Steeping Time: 1-5 minutes
• Black Tea – Water Temp: 212F, Steeping Time: 5 minutes
• Herbal Tea – Water Temp: 212F, Steeping Time: 5 minutes

What happens is the tea steeps for too long?

The tea will get bitter. When a  tea is put into a hot water, this process is called “steeping”.  Steeping process releases a bunch of tiny particles called “tannins.” It is these tannins that give tea its astringency. So the longer the tea steeps, the more tannins it releases. So if you want to enjoy your tea better, make sure to steep it just the right time for the type of tea you are using.

How To Make Homemade Iced Tea

Sadly, I always end up getting disappointed when I ordered it at cafe. It is almost like colored water with no flavor at all and if it does have a flavor, it taste artificial to me. I thought instead of complaining about it, might as well just make my own at home and so I came up with this, and I had been drinking this like crazy almost everyday. After all, it’s a tea and decaf too. This is so easy to make, just like when making any regular tea. All you  need to do is to steep the tea bags. I’m using a a really mild tea so I like boiling it to extract as much flavor as possible.

• But the rule of thumb is to pour the boiling water over the tea bags . Allow the tea to steep until ready. Once you have the base tea, you can add any fruits that you like, make it sweetened or unsweetened. I made this with strawberry and pineapple (the one in the video), and I think peaches will work great too.

What tea will work for this?

This drink uses a fruit flavored tea. I used a Raspberry flavored tea so that it match well with my fresh raspberry and dragon fruit. You can other tea flavor but you make sure to choose the right fruit that will work with it. I had used Blueberry tea, I think Earl Grey will work too. There’s no right or wrong in making this tea, it’s homemade anyway so make it your own version and creation.

What sweetener to use when making homemade iced tea?

Sweeteners like honey and sugar blend and dissolve more easily in warm tea, so mix them in just while the water is still hot, before you chill it. If you need to sweeten cold bew  tea, use simple syrup. Simple syrup is just sugar that’s been heated and dissolved in water, and it’s the best way to add sweetness to cold tea.

I used honey to sweeten the drink, you can use other sweeter but you may have to adjust the measurement. 1/3 cup of honey is not the same as 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in terms of sweetness, as honey is sweeter than sugar.  Add gradually and play around with it.

Can I make this unsweetened?

Definitely! If you prefer unsweetened tea, just skip the step where you add the sweetener. Simply steep the tea, add lemon slices and pour in a glass with ice. Then add slices of Dragon fruit.

Can I replace Dragon fruit?

Yes, you can. Dragon fruit is something not common, and if you are not a fan of this fruit you can replace it with slices of pineapple, and maybe kiwi will work too. You can play around with what fruit works, so be creative and use what you have.

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups Water
• 3 Tea Bags – Berry Flavored (Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry etc.)
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup Honey
• 1 whole Lemon (divide: 1/2 sliced and 1/2 squeeze out the juice)
• 1/3 cup Raspberry – fresh or frozen
• 1/3 cup Dragon Fruit (If you cannot find one, this can be substituted with pineapple or kiwi)
• Ice Cubes

Instructions:

Boil water, honey and add lemon juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Close the heat and submerge the tea bags for 3 -5 minutes or according to the steeping time of the tea you are using. If using a really mild tea, you can leave the tea bags until the tea cold down, otherwise remove the tea bags to avoid getting a bitter taste. Cool and transfer in a jar, add sliced lemons and chill in the refrigerator. Add dragon fruit and raspberry and ice cubes when ready to serve.

Makes 4 cups

Enjoy! If you make this, share and tag me in Instagram #SweetNSpicyLiving. I would like to see your creations too.

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