Raspberry Mint Iced Tea

Summer is right around the corner, so my mind has veered toward refreshing drinks to enjoy on a steamy hot day.  My staple drink, that I consume several times a day is a glass of seltzer water with ice and a squeeze of lime.  My day is not complete until I’ve had at least three.

However, even I need a bit of variety now and then.  I started thinking about Snapple's monumental success and their array of flavored iced teas and drinks.  Many varieties of bottled drinks have hit the shelves in the last few years with inventive flavors and unique ingredients.  Essentially, I do believe  that homemade is best – it just tastes better.

So here begins my quest to provide you a series of summer drinks that are healthy, easy, fun and sometimes alcoholic J.

I love iced tea – it just screams summer for me.  Growing up my parents had a house out on Long Island and on every trip to the beach my Mom prepared a green thermos filled with this perfect drink – lots of lemon and just lightly sweetened.  My raspberry mint iced tea can be made without caffeine using mint tea or a black tea for amore classic version.  The raspberry and mint marry quite well and the drink comes out a beautiful ruby red that screams refreshing.

Raspberry Mint Iced Tea

two bags of mint or black tea

4 cups or 32 ounces of boiling water

½ cup fresh raspberries

½ cup superfine baker’s sugar

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Pour boiling water over tea bags in a medium pitcher and let steep for 5 minutes.  Stir in sugar and let dissolve.  Refrigerate until cooled – about 1 ½ hours.

Add raspberries and mint to the pitcher and using an immersion blender mix until until berries are crushed and mint chopped – the tea should be a ruby red.  Strain the fruit and mint out of the tea.  Serve over ice with fresh raspberries.