It’s hot in Toronto right now, and I’m trying to stay cool. I’m eating all the ice cream, while standing in front of the air conditioning, and still I’m hot. My newly acquired fig tree is happy, but I am just not built for climate change weather; I’m built for fall days and cold snow so crisp your eyelashes frost over. In lieu of that, I’ve been drinking tons of water to try and stay cool, but that gets boring after a while. So, Lemon Basil Iced Tea to the hydrating rescue!
How did I come up with this recipe? Well, I accidentally bought a lemon basil plant instead of a plain ol’ basil plant, and let me tell you, the two are nowhere near the same. Lemon basil tastes like lemony mint to me, while regular basil tastes…basil. And then my lemon basil plant had a bumper crop. What to do? Iced tea for evvvvvverrrrryyyyoooonnnne!
Lemon Basil Iced Tea
This super-easy iced tea has a unique flavour, and is light years ahead in tastiness compared to the preservative-filled powdered stuff.
Ingredients
- 8 c. boiling water
- 2 tea bags (I recommend a nice black tea -- standard tea bags are fine)
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 branches of lemon basil
Instructions
- Steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, using a mortar and pestle, muddle the sugar and the leaves of the lemon basil. (Basically, grind it up until the leaves look...ground up, and the sugar is vaguely greenish.)
- Remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar mixture until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour over ice to serve right away, or put into fridge and serve very cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 c.Amount Per Serving: Calories: 55Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 0g
I served this iced tea in Moroccan tea glasses at a dinner party I had recently and it was a hit, so I thought I’d share the recipe with you. It’s essentially a basic sweet iced tea but has a nice lemony minty (with a hint of basil) flavour. You could easily substitute in some lemon juice and regular basil if you don’t have a lemon basil plant. Iced tea is so easy to flavour! What is your favourite iced tea flavour? Fresh raspberries muddled with sugar? Spearmint & a hint of lemon? Let me know in the comments!
And if you usually make iced tea from a powder, well…this is just as easy. And preservative-free, obviously, so skip the fake tea and make your own — so, so easy! You get some Lemon Basil Iced Tea, and you get some Lemon Basil Iced and you get some Lemon Basil Iced Tea, and…you get the idea!
Next Post: Chilled Cream of Curried Squash Soup. So delicious, so elegant, so stunningly easy!
I wanted to try lemon basil tea but when I went to my garden yesterday, my lemon basil plant was dead and the pepper plant beside it was smashed to the ground. Nothing was eaten, just smashed in one spot. Something wandered through the garden during the night and probably slept on the basil plant. I suppose it was quite a comfy bed. There are advantages to a balcony garden and this is one.
What a fragrant bed for the critter! I’m assuming it wasn’t an armadillo? Really must have been a nice bed for it!
Oh, and I’m pretty sure my balcony garden is under attack by powdery mildew. Any suggestions for getting rid of it?
Please, let me tell you, I’m sure your recited for Lemon Basil tea is wonderful but dear ones… please forget the tea bags and just crush those gorgeous, aromatic Lemon Basil leaves any way you can. You can put them in a bowl with a 1/4” of water and crush them with a flat bottom glass, or press them against a screen-type strainer rolling them over and pressing again and again as you watch that gorgeous hello-green goodness strain through. Pour cold water through the strainer so you get all the goodness while stealing bits of leaves out too, now for the best part… Add HONEY, mix well, sip, and you’ll be in HEAVEN!! Oh my gosh!! The aroma is heaven!! The color (gorgeous light green) is heaven! The flavor…. what can I say? It’s so good that I sip it but I can’t put the glass down so I just keep sipping and sipping until it’s gone because I want that flavor to last last last! The flavors burst off into so many lovely fragrant, mellow, flowery flavors and aromas (and of course lemon!) that I feel like I’m getting 10 herbs in one!
I hope this encourages people to try just the Lemon Basil with water and honey. I’m sure you’ll be saying, “HEAVEN!” and you’ll be right.
I’m so in love with this drink that I can’t wait to make another glass.
What will I do in the winter, when I can’t get this Lemon Basil fresh? I think I’m seriously going to have a crisis.
This sounds delicious! I must try it immediately!!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂