Mint Iced Tea Recipe

This was inspired by my mint syrup recipe on this site, and pairs well with this air fryer fried chicken. Add in some ranger cookies or blondies and you have the beginnings of a simple make-ahead summer picnic.

• mint syrup
• tea bags
• water
• fresh mint
• fresh lemons

See the printable recipe card for quantities.

Making mint iced tea couldn't be simpler. Just steep your tea bags in a pot of water, then pour the brewed tea into the serving pitcher. Add cold water to the serving pitcher.

Add the prepared mint syrup to the serving pitcher and give everything a stir before pouring the iced tea into glasses with plenty of ice.

If you have dried mint on hand you can use that to make the mint syrup, but I prefer to use fresh mint for its fresher flavor.

• Sugar - instead of using white sugar for the syrup, brown sugar is also an option. It will add a caramel-like flavor to the tea, but will also deepen the rich brown color.
• Ginger- for the mint syrup, you can add a 1-inch piece of grated fresh ginger to the pot while the simple syrup is cooking. If you make your syrup a ginger-mint syrup, try to find candied ginger slices to garnish the rim of your glass.

Store the mint tea in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to use mason jars and they come in half-gallon sizes which are perfect for taking with you to parties or picnics. The finished tea will remain good for 2-3 days before the mint flavor starts to fade.

You can also freeze some of the tea into ice cube trays so when you pour yourself a glass the next day, plain ice cubes won't water down your drink.

Don't boil the tea! This makes it taste very bitter, even when the mint syrup is added. Just bring the water to boil, then shut off the heat before adding the tea bags to steep.