Wednesday, August 1, 2012

More Cold Tea Infusions

A post I wrote a little while ago was about cold tea infusions that were refreshing and delicious summer beverages.

Here are a few more. Try black tea with lavender. Mostly black with a little lavender for accent, similar to the combination of bergamot and black tea to make Earl Grey.

Another nice combo is black tea with peppermint.

Black tea with rosemary makes a tea with a wonderful light accent.

You can also combine green tea with lemon balm or lavender or just make a green tea infusion all by itself.

Lady Grey is a combination of green tea with bergamot, and to that you can add a dash of lavender.

Jasmine tea is also wonderful as a cold infusion.

For something green and caffeine free, try alfalfa and lemon balm. Or just lemon balm by itself.

Or for a real surprise, dill, nettle and alfalfa. The flavor is very mellow and you are still ingesting some wonderful nutrients while you sip this refreshing tea.

At this time of year, basil is growing prolifically. Let some fresh basil leaves float in a pitcher of water overnight and serve it with a twist of lemon, orange or grapefruit peel, the same way bartenders do with alcoholic beverages, like a martini with a twist, or a vodka on the rocks with a twist. Same principle with a non alcoholic summer cooler.

There are all kinds of delicious opportunities to experiment with while fresh herbs are in bloom.