Summery Iced Tea Lemonade

It took a long time to get here, but it seems like warm summery weather has finally arrived! While there are still some chilly and damp days, the warm, sunny days certainly outnumber the yucky ones. One of the most important things to do during the summer is drink lots and lots to stay hydrated...buuut water can certainly get boring after a while.

My absolute favorite drink for summertime is that shaken iced tea lemonade they make at Starbucks. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately! Haha), there is no Starbucks in my town; the closest one is about an hour away!! And realistically, who wants to spend $5 on an iced tea anyway? So, clearly I decided that I needed to figure out a way to make this super refreshing summertime drink at home. It's so super easy that everyone can make it; also, its easy to customize to your own personal taste - it tastes delicious with just about any flavor of tea you can think of!

What You'll Need:

5 - 10 Tea bags, flavor of choice

2L Water

Sugar or sweetener, to taste

Lemonade (premixed or from concentrate)

Ice

What To Do:

1. Bring water to a boil; this may need to be done in "batches", depending on the size of your kettle.

2. In a beverage container with a tightly sealed lid, place your tea bags; the more tea bags you use, the stronger flavor you will have. My general rule of thumb is 1 tea bag per 0.75 - 1 cup of water; adjust to individual preference.

3. Allow tea to steep for about 15 minutes, then remove tea bags. If you are choosing to use sugar or sweetener, I would add it now; always start by adding small amounts as tasting as you go, especially if using premixed lemonade as it is already pretty sweet!

4. Place tea in fridge until completely cool.

5. If you have a large enough container, you can add an equal amount of lemonade to your tea and make a large batch. If, like me, you only have a small container, you'll have to mix your tea and lemonade as you need it. I use a 500ml mason jar as a shaker, add 4-5 ice cubes and equal parts iced tea and lemonade; seal you jar, and shake, shake, shake!!!!

6. Now you can drink directly from the mason jar, or strain (it will be foamy!) into a fancy glass and enjoy!

L and I enjoy making this with a wildberry tea - it's delish! - but we have also made it with raspberry-pomegranate tea, green tea, and blueberry tea. Try out your favorite teas in this icy deliciousness, and let me know what you think!