It’s Monday, which means everyone could use some caffeine to get the day started. Even if you’re an early riser there’s something about Monday that just requires an extra boost. And, since it’s summer doing it a cooling way is obviously best. That’s assuming of course that you’re in a hot weather climate. Here in London it’s been humid but cool and rainy. So very rainy. But, with a Thai iced tea I can at least pretend I’m in a tropical climate. 

I’ve been thinking about making Thai iced tea for a while now. A few years ago my friend Charlotte and I tried to make it “from scratch” using a recipe I got from a cooking with tea cookbook. When I say from scratch, I mean we used tea bags and spices instead of prepared mixes. This cookbook has successfully taught me to make yummy rooibos cookies, so I felt trusting. However, the end result wasn’t what we wanted. It did taste good, but the flavor was more like an iced chair. And perhaps most importantly, we didn’t get the great effect of cream sitting atop the tea, then slowly mixing into orange goodness. To us, that felt like a key component of Thai iced tea.

It’s probably been over a year since my one-time failed experiment, but recently I started thinking about it again. It could be because Thai food is Ryan’s favorite thing to order for take away. Whatever the reason, I started doing some research to find a great recipe. Do you know what I found? I found that everyone uses a pre-made tea mix! The tea mix uses yellow coloring to give it that orange color. It’s not some fancy spice, it’s just yellow. So I decided to refine what “from scratch” means. If everyone’s using tea mix then who am I to say that’s not scratch or official? I order Panthai tea mix from Amazon, but Original Thai Iced Tea mix would work too (it was just more expensive). Once I had the mix, it was super easy to make. It’s refreshing, delicious, and just as pretty as any tea I’ve had in a restaurant.

One note, I used coconut milk with the tea. This is in part because it was what I already had at home, and in part because I just like it. Feel free to use half and half or sweetened condensed milk if that’s what you prefer.

Recipe adapted from White on Rice Couple.

Messy level: Usually a drink is one spoon, but this one is two. The reason for that is that you have to strain the tea after it steeps. This is requires additional dishes and a little finesse to ensure you don’t spill orange liquid all over your kitchen.

Thai Iced Tea

 

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Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 4-6 cups

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• ⅔ - 1 cup Thai Iced Tea Mix (use more or less depending on strength preference)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ice
• coconut milk (or half and half or sweetened condensed milk)

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling add the tea and sugar to the pot. Stir a bit to help encourage the sugar to dissolve. Lower the heat so everything is still bubbling, but the bubbles are gentle not vigorous.
3. Let the tea steep in the boiling water for 3 minutes.
4. Remove pot from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
5. Put a fine mesh sieve over a bowl or pitcher. Pour the tea through the strainer to strain the tea from the tea leaves. Discard the tea leaves. [Note: If you don't have a fine strainer, you can line your regular colander with cheese cloth. I think a couple layers of paper towels might also work]
6. Let the tea cool in the refrigerator. Alternatively you can serve it immediately over a lot of ice.
7. To serve, fill a glass with ice. Fill the glass ¾ of the way full with tea.
8. Top the tea with the coconut milk. Enjoy the beautiful look.
9. Stir and enjoy!

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Recently I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about eating outside. I’ve thought about having a birthday party picnic next month, I’ve reminisced about steak and pepper kabobs Ryan used to make on the grill, I’ve pined for chili cheese dogs at a Nats baseball game, and I’ve wished for a Leinenkugel summer shandy. The weather is nice, the sun has been out, and all I want to do is eat outside. Last week my friends and I sat outside at a pizzeria and in Greenwich we had a mini picnic, but still I want more summer flavor.

Maybe because it’s Memorial Day in the US, and a bank holiday here in the UK, and people everywhere are outside enjoying a good meal – all I want to do is immerse myself in summer. In short, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about summertime foods and drinks. One recipe that is perfect for the season is an Arnold Palmer. Sure, sometime soon Ryan and I are going to buy one of these disposable barbecues, head to the park, and cook up some burgers and hot dogs – but until then this drink is going to bring summer inside to my flat. Because look at it, this drink just looks like liquid sunshine.

Half lemonade and half iced tea, and named after the golfer Arnold Palmer, this is the perfect drink refreshing and delicious drink to cool down in the summer time. (You can see the fantastic Sports Center commercial with Arnold Palmer making one here) I always get excited when I see an Arnold Palmer on a menu or when I can buy a bottle of it in the store. It’s simply fantastic, perfect for summer, and I can’t believe it took me so long to make it.

Especially because, it’s so easy and inexpensive. You need four things: black tea, lemons, sugar, and water. I imagine in the US you’d use Lipton tea bags, but I used English breakfast. I think use whatever straightforward black tea you like best. The other you’ll need to do is make simple syrup. All that is, is sugar and water heated up so the sugar dissolves. This is an important step! Sugar doesn’t dissolve in cold liquids, so if you dump sugar straight in then your going to have some tart sips and some crunchy sugar sips. So peopple don’t wait! Get your pitcher, make a batch, and invite some friends over to sit outside, chat about nothing, and enjoy being outside. And if you’re having a barbecue, invite me over!

Adapted from Food Network.

Messy level: This is two spoons only because you’ll might need a few different vessels as you prepare you tea, lemons, and simple syrup. Overall though, so easy and not messy at all.

Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade - Half Iced Tea)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2-3 black tea bags (use more tea bags if you like a stronger flavor)
• 1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• lemon wedges, optional for garnish

Instructions

1. Put 2-3 tea bags in a heat-safe pitcher or bowl.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling pour the water over the tea bags. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and set the tea aside to cool.
4. If you haven't already, juice the lemons. Add the lemon juice to the cooling tea.
5. In a small saucepan combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stir occasionally.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, you now have simple syrup. Add it to the Arnold Palmer mixture. You can add less than the whole cup if you don't want it as sweet.
7. Add the final one cup of water to the Arnold Palmer. Taste. Add more water if you find it too sweet or too tart. Make more simple syrup if you'd like it sweeter.
8. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely.
9. Once cool, serve in a glass over ice. If you like, dd a wedge of lemon for garnish.

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