Base Ingredients

Makes 6 cups of iced tea (3 Snapple bottles worth)

10 tea bags
4 cups water
2 cups juice
Sugar (or syrup) to taste (3 to 5 TBL)

Brew the tea

Any kind of basic black tea works fine. Those labeled as "Orange Pekoe" (Lipton) or "Ceylon" teas work just fine. Try to avoid stronger teas (like breakfast blends). There are two ways to brew the tea. They both work with similar results, depending on how much of a hurry you are in:

Room temperature

Put the tea bags in a large container (2 quart) and add 4 cups of room temperature water. Let the tea seep for 45 minutes, then remove the tea bags.

Hot Brew

Boil 4 cups of water in a heat proof container. Put the tea bags in a large container (2 quart) and add the boiling water. Let the tea seep for 5 minutes, then remove the tea bags.

Add the juice

The classic Arnold Palmer is made with lemonade, but any kind of light flavored juice works great (orange, lime, pineapple, peach, etc.). You can be adventurous and try things like an apple flavored tea with a cinnamon simple syrup.

Lemon iced tea

The kind of lemonade you use makes a difference, so look for the more classic sour stuff. If you find a sweeter one, cut back on the sugar in the final step.

Using fresh lemonade

Add 2 cups of juice to your brewed tea and stir.

Using frozen lemonade

For a 12 fl oz frozen lemonade container (that makes 64 fl oz): In a 2 cup measuring cup, add 6 TBL of thawed lemonade concentrate. Add enough water to make 2 cups of juice. Add juice to tea and mix well.

Pineapple iced tea

Use a 12 fl oz frozen pineapple juice container (that makes 48 fl oz). In a 2 cup measuring cup, add 1/2 cup (8 TBL) of thawed pineapple concentrate. Add enough water to make 2 cups of juice. Add juice to tea and mix well.

Add the sugar

You can use pure table sugar or a simple sugar syrup. Add the sugar slowly and taste frequently, especially if you are using a new kind of tea or lemonade. You want your mixture to taste just slightly too sweet at room temperature, since it will dull a little when ice cold.

Simple Syrup

In a heat proof container, add 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. Microwave/boil mixture until completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Recipes

Found some tasty lemonade at Costco on sale. This recipe works great using it:

10 Lipton or Safeway black tea bags
4 cups filtered tap water
2 cups Kirkland organic lemonade (on sale!)
4 TBL simple syrup

Iced Tea

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