Recent warm weather (as well as plans to fly across the pond) have had me dreaming of all things light, cool and refreshing. Following on from my recent southern food obsession, I decided to try my hand at brewing iced tea.
Here rooibos tea not only provides a beautiful smoky flavour and ruby red aesthetic, but it’s naturally caffeine free.
It’s important to steep the tea for around 12 hours, and once brewed it will keep in the fridge for at least 4 days.
Serves 4
60g loose leaf rooibos tea, or 3 rooibos tea bags
100g granulated sugar
2 lemons, sliced
1 bunch of mint, roughly chopped, plus 4 small sprigs to serve
Method: In a large container or bowl, add the rooibos tea and 1l of water. Allow to brew for at least 12 hours, covered, in the fridge.
Add the sugar, 1 lemon, mint and 200ml of water into a small saucepan. Over a medium heat, stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, bring the syrup to a rolling boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until it reaches the consistency of olive oil.
Pass the syrup through a sieve into a sterilised, sealable bottle, using the back of a wooden spoon to push all of the liquid from the lemon and mint leaves (which will be quite mushy) through. This will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.
To serve, use a ratio of 1:4 syrup to brewed tea. Add the syrup over crushed ice and stir. Add the iced tea and top up with ice if required. Serve with half a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.
Dealing with Dough 