Add Fresh Flavor to Sweet Tea

Give this favorite beverage a cool twist with fruit juice and mint leaves.

Pour a tall glass of tea on a sultry summer day-but make it a jazzed-up version of the Southern standard by using one of these variations. Peach nectar and fresh mint are the stars in Governor's Mansion Summer Peach Tea Punch. The delicious recipe makes a gallon, so you're guaranteed to have plenty for family and friends. Refreshing, citrus-kissed Fruited Mint Tea blends orange and lemon juices. No matter how you flavor it, cold tea is hard to beat on a hot day.

-CHARLA DRAPER

Governor's Mansion Summer Peach Tea Punch

MAKES ABOUT 1 GAL.

PREP: 5 MIN., COOK: 5 MIN., STEEP: 10 MIN., CHILL: 8 HRS.

Fruit juice nectars are blends of fruit puree, water, and cane sugar. You can find them in a variety of flavors in the fruit juice aisle of the supermarket.

4 cups water

3 family-size tea bags

2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1 (33.8-oz.) bottle peach nectar

1 (6-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

½ cup Simple Sugar Syrup

1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled

1 (1-liter) bottle club soda, chilled

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add tea bags and 2 cups mint leaves. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes.

2. Remove and discard tea bags and mint. Pour into a 1-gal. container; add peach nectar, lemonade concentrate, and Simple Sugar Syrup. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

3. Pour chilled tea mixture into a punch bowl. Stir in ginger ale and club soda just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Simple Sugar Syrup:

MAKES 2 ½ CUPS

PREP: 5 MIN., COOK: 8 MIN.

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1. Bring 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is dear. Cool to room temperature. AUSTIN ENTERTAINS

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF AUSTIN, TEXAS

Fruited Mint Tea

MAKES ABOUT 2 ½ QT.

PREP: 5 MIN., COOK: 5 MIN., STEEP: 10 MIN.

3 cups water

4 regular-size tea bags

12 fresh mint sprigs

1 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

5 cups cold water

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add tea bags. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Add mint; cover and steep 10 minutes.

2. Remove and discard tea bags and mint. Add 1 cup sugar, stirring until dissolved.

3. Pour into a 1-gal. heatproof container; add orange juice, lemon juice, and 5 cups cold water. Chill or serve over ice. MAURICE MALLOW

BRADY, TEXAS

Chill out on the deck with Governor's Mansion Summer Peach Tea Punch.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2006
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