How to make an Iced Tea Lemonade

You can say what you like about sugar, but a legacy of overly sweet cans of branded 'iced tea' and traditional, heavy-on-sugar, Southern iced tea from the US means that many people still want and expect iced tea to be sweet. Iced Tea Lemonades are therefore real crowd-pleasers - they're delicious, can work with a number of different teas and still have a lot less sugar than most soft drinks.

Here we share a couple of our most colourful favourites, but you can use the base recipe for the lemonade and adapt it with any tea and a suitable garnish - Earl Grey and Keemun both work well too.

Hibiscus Lemonade

Ingredients per drink:

• 120ml cold water
• 120ml boiling water
• 2 Hibiscus teabags or 2 teaspoons of Hibiscus leaves
• 1 lemon
• 1 slice of orange
• 1 tablespoon of simple syrup (to make: combine equal measures of boiling water and white sugar and dissolve - see here about sweetening your iced tea)

Method

• Add 120ml boiling water to a teapot or mug with the Hibiscus tea and let it infuse for at least 5 minutes. Strain and set aside to cool.
• Prepare your glass with plenty of ice & a slice of orange
• To a cocktail shaker, add 120ml water, 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and the juice of your lemon
• Give it a good shake for 15 seconds
• Pour into your glass
• Pour the Hibiscus tea over your lemonade and give it a gentle stir to combine

Enjoy!

Matcha Lemonade

Ingredients per drink:

• 240ml water
• 1 teaspoon of Ceremonial Grade Matcha powder
• 1 lemon (juice + slice for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon of simple syrup (to make: combine equal measures of boiling water and white sugar and dissolve - see here about sweetening your iced tea)

Method

• Prepare your glass with plenty of ice
• To a cocktail shaker, add 120ml water, 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and the juice of your lemon
• Give it a good shake for 15 seconds
• Pour it into your glass
• Rinse the shaker and then add a teaspoon of matcha and 120ml cold water
• Shake vigorously for 30 seconds - you want to ensure there are no lumps!
• Pour over the lemonade and give it a gentle stir to combine
• Garnish with a sprig of mint