This weather has got me thinking about all the delicious summer drinks I’ll be making/consuming. However, I am still breastfeeding so I am always on the hunt for creative drinks that are non-alcoholic.
I thought I would start with a basic, but a good one, the classic Iced Tea. On a typical hot and humid day in Toronto, a thirst-quenching iced tea does the trick. Making my own blend allows me to control what flavours I put in and how much sugar I don’t need to consume.
I headed to David’s Tea, which has a plethora of yummy flavours to choose from when finding a tea blend and I love talking to the staff because they just know their tea! Beats going to a supermarket and choosing from a box.
However, the problem with David’s Tea is that their store setup is so beautiful that it makes you want to buy everything! I managed to peel myself away from all the pretty shelves and stuck to my plan, a good diffuser pitcher and the tea blends.
I purchased their Perfect Pitcher in soft blue and it couldn’t be more perfect! The diffuser detaches so you don’t need to keep the tea leaves all the time and the pitcher is leak proof! Great for kids and large parties (it holds almost 2 litres).
It was hard to choose only one tea blend, so I decided to buy a few! They have a promotion where you can purchase small packets (good for one use in their pitchers) at 6 for $20 or 3 for $12. I chose Just Peachy, Melon Cooler and Frozen Raspberry.
I was then introduced to Sparkling Sangria and I fell in love. It has hints of apple, papaya, mango, pineapple and hibiscus, making it the perfect fruity drink. I definitely will be returning for more this summer.
Scroll down to see how I created my Sparkling Sangria Iced Tea.
Sparkling Sangria Iced Tea
What you will need:
- Sparkling Sangria Loose leaf tea
- David’s Tea Perfect Pitcher (a jug with a tea infuser ball will work as well)
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon (Half is for the lemon syrup, the other half for the drink)
- Lemon Syrup
Lemon Syrup:
( I like to create more and keep it in a mason jar for future drinks, so I double or triple this recipe when needed)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest
- Combine sugar and water and let the sugar to dissolve. Add the lemon juice and zest and let boil for a few minutes (3-5 minutes).
- Pass the syrup through a sieve and let the mixture cool
Iced Tea:
- Boil water
- Add loose leaf tea in an infuser
- Fill jug halfway with boiled water and let the tea diffuse for about 7-8 minutes.
- Fill the rest of the jug with cold water and refrigerate or if you plan to serve it immediately add ice with the cold water.
- Cut slices of oranges and lemons, add into the iced tea and allow the flavours to infuse.
- You may add club soda for some fizz, Prosecco or a little vodka to spice it up or keep it just the way it is.
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