Strawberry Peach Iced Tea
You know those really hot, oppressive summer days when the air feels heavy and no matter what you do, you just can’t get cool?
Doing anything feels like wading through water and that’s just emphasised by the dampness of your clothing and brow…
What you need is my Strawberry and Peach Iced Tea – sweet, refreshing summer in a glass…
Fruit teas, herbal teas and green teas are a bit like blue cheese, caviar and olives. I’m not comparing them taste-wise (although in the case of some green teas, I’m not sure that comparison would be far off the mark..) What I’m saying is, you feel like you really ought to like them because, well they’re super cool right? Only, try as you might, you just don’t get it.
(Actually, truth be told, I TOTALLY dig olives – not literally – they’re picked from trees dontcha know? … but you get the idea.)
Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about fruit teas, iced tea and all that malarky, which just isn’t British. We have our tea steaming hot and in a mug (or teacup) thank you very much. A teapot is preferred, a biscuit to dunk is a treat – and don’t get me started on when the milk should be added.… it’s a steaming hot topic and no mistake.
I briefly dabbled with mint tea just after the birth of my second son – but more because of its supposed ability to settle an upset tummy than because I thought it sounded particularly tasty. I must confess, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t awful. That’s as far as I’d go. Put it this way, I had my son in February 2014 and I haven’t managed to finish that box of tea bags yet…
More recently, a friend enticed me to try more of a spiced tea – with cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. It was pretty tasty. I haven’t finished that box either.
For more of my musings on tea, check out these posts..
This year, I thought I’d have a go at making my own version – Peach and Strawberry Iced Tea. I mean, iced teas are a pretty big deal in a lot of places so there must be something to them right?
As it turns out – YES!
The first step was to make a Peach & Strawberry Syrup, which by the way, makes your whole house smell amazing so if your home is on the market, then the time to make this is just before you have people coming for a viewing. Guaranteed sale. 🙂
Peach & Strawberry Syrup
(Makes approx 700 ml)
2 peaches, chopped
200 g strawberries
200 g caster sugar (if you have vanilla sugar then use half this and half normal caster)
500 ml water
- Bung everything in a saucepan on a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and then turn off the heat
- Using a fork, mush up all the fruit to get out as much of the juice
- Leave to cool completely
- Push through a fine sieve or muslin cloth (depending on just how pure you want it) and then funnel into a bottle.
Strawberry Peach Iced Tea
You will need
tea bags
water
Strawberry Peach Cordial
I haven’t put amounts here – it really depends on whether you want to just make a glass for you or a jug. The basic directions are:
- Make tea – leaving to brew as long as your personal taste desires (I find, if left too long though, it makes the drink a touch bitter – you’ve been warned!)
- Leave to cool completely
- Pour 1/3 cordial and 2/3 tea and then add ice
- Go outside in the sun and feel refreshed!
PS – I don’t own one (yet) but if I did, I would absolutely serve this Peach Tea in one of these amazing clear teapots!
The fantastic thing about the Strawberry Peach Cordial that you’ve just made is that it will keep in the fridge for a week or so and can also be used for these gorgeous drinks..
Strawberry Peach Prosecco
Just a splash of cordial at the bottom of the glass before pouring your Prosecco and hey presto 🙂
Sparkling Strawberry Peach Cordial
A great one for the kids this one. Just add sparkling water.
One last thing…
If you’ve enjoyed this post or this recipe then please do share it with your chums and let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
