Berry-Basil Ice Tea

June 08, 2015

A refreshing summer drink! You know you want to enjoy some out on the porch ... or patio!

Welcome to this month's episode of the Secret Recipe Club, where members make a recipe from another member's blog and post their version. This month I was assigned Amy's Cooking Adventures. Amy's goal is to make healthy, delicious meals that the whole family can enjoy. She takes all her own mouth-watering photos, and I love how she poses the food and her artistry at arranging the backgrounds. I'm just lucky if my own photos are in focus. I have much to learn.

Anyway, back to food. I quickly booked several recipes from which to select. The Caramelized Onion Bread looked to die for. And the Hummus Egg Salad would have a been mad-simple-cheat since I coincidentally made a batch of my own homemade just the other day.

Then summer descended upon upon New Jersey. The temps (at the time I wrote this) tickled the 90s. I needed something fast, refreshing and chilling.

Berry-Basil Ice Tea! Cool and quick. With a heap of yum added, no extra charge. Rosemary and basil gives the tea a sophisticated flavor, and the small amount white grape juice lent juuust enough sweetness to play off the savory herbs. Amy mentioned that she used a mixture of three different berries. But the recipe itself is not so specific, plus raspberries, blackberries and blueberries were still a little pricy so I used strawberries instead (the fact that they are my favorite type of berry is just a coincidence).

I happen to not mind a little pulp in my drinks (in fact, it lets people know that real fruit gave its life for your enjoyment) so I skipped the second straining step. I also used less ice in the pitcher to avoid really diluting the drink.

Totally loved it! Just as you will. Thanks, Amy!

Berry-Basil Ice Tea
Adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Yield: about 8 servings (8 cups)

4 cups water
1 cup very ripe strawberries, lightly mashed, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1 small sprig rosemary, woody stems removed
6 bags green tea
1 Tbl. honey (or agave syrup for a vegan alternative)
1/2 cup white grape juice
1 cup ice cubes, plus more for serving

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a 2-quart or larger saucepan over high heat.

Remove from heat. Stir in the berries, basil, rosemary and honey (or agave syrup). Pop in the green tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes.

Place the ice cubes in a plastic or glass pitcher.

Strain out the large solids by pouring the tea through a colander into a large bowl. Pour the tea into the ice filled pitcher. Stir in the white grape juice.