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Raspberry Iced Tea

Raspberry Iced Tea

This raspberry iced tea proves that a genuinely refreshing summer recipe requires nothing beyond Earl Grey tea bags, simmered fresh raspberries, and a squeeze of lemon juice. You follow the five-minute steep, the gentle simmer, and the full hour of chilling, and the pitcher rivals anything served at a fancy European cafe for a fraction of the price. Whether you drink it plain or dress it up with a splash of gin, this recipe turns a carton of fading berries into the best glass of iced tea in the house.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, british inspired
Calories: 55
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups water
  • 4 Earl Grey tea bags
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries
  • ⅓ cup honey or sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups ice cubes
  • Extra raspberries for serving
  • Lemon slices for serving

Equipment

  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Medium saucepan
  • Glass pitcher

Method
 

  1. Heat the water
    You bring six cups of water to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan. A brief rolling boil if you step away for a moment is fine, since turning down the heat afterward solves it quickly.
  2. Brew the Earl Grey tea
    You remove the saucepan from the heat, add the Earl Grey tea bags, and steep for exactly five minutes. You set a timer for this step, since leaving the bags in for twenty minutes turns the tea aggressively bitter.
  3. Cook the raspberries
    You add the fresh raspberries and honey directly to the hot brewed tea, stirring and simmering for five minutes until the berries soften and release their juices. The mixture looks like a murky swamp for a minute before it smooths out into something far more appealing.
  4. Strain the tea
    You pour the raspberry tea mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large heat-safe bowl, pressing gently to extract as much juice as possible. Discarding the leftover solids, or composting them, finishes this step cleanly.
  5. Add lemon juice and cool
    You stir the fresh lemon juice into the strained tea and let it cool for about twenty minutes, which prevents a hot pitcher from cracking or raising the temperature inside your fridge.
  6. Chill the tea
    You pour the cooled tea into a clear glass pitcher and refrigerate it for at least one hour, holding off on adding ice until serving time to avoid watering down the batch.
  7. Serve
    You fill glasses with ice cubes, pour the chilled tea over the top, and garnish with extra fresh raspberries and lemon slices for a genuinely polished presentation.

Recipe Notes

  • Tea: I use standard Earl Grey tea bags. No need for a specialty blend.
  • Raspberries: I use fresh raspberries when affordable. Frozen substitutes at the same amount.
  • Sweetener: I use honey. Granulated sugar substitutes at the same amount.
  • Lemon juice: I use fresh juice, never bottled, for the brightest flavor.
  • Chilling: I refrigerate the tea for the full hour before adding ice.