Iced Teas

• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tea bags
• 2 cups apricot nectar
• 2 tbsp undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate
• Club soda
• 8 oz light rum
• Grand Marnier liqueur
• 8 fresh orange slices
• 8 fresh whole strawberries, washed with stems

In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes, then steep for 15 minutes.
Strain the tea into a glass container and add the apricot nectar and orange juice concentrate. Mix together and let cool. Chill.
Pour the tea over ice in a brandy snifter and add the soda to each glass. Add 1 oz of the rum and a splash of the liqueur to each glass. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and a strawberry and serve.

• 12 tea bags
• 12 cups boiling water
• 16 thin slices lemon (garnish)

Place the tea bags in a large heatproof pitcher with a cover. Pour the boiling water into the pitcher over the bags, and stir well to saturate the bags. Cover and allow to steep for about 5 minutes, or until the tea has reached the desired strength. Remove and discard the tea bags, and allow the tea to cool to room temperature. To make the tea cubes, pour some of the cooled tea into 2 or 3 ice cube trays. Place in the freezer until frozen solid. Cover the remaining tea, and chill until ready to serve. Divide the frozen tea cubes among eight 14-ounce glasses. Pour the chilled tea over the tea cubes. Make a tiny cut in each lemon slice, and place 2 slices of lemon on the edge of each glass. Serve immediately, passing a bowl of sugar or a pitcher of Sugar Syrup for those who like their tea sweetened.

About 6 hours or day ahead: Into pitcher, measure 4 cups cold tap water. Add 8 to 10 tea bags (remove tags); cover; let stand at room temperature 6 hours or overnight; remove tea bags and stir. Serve over ice cubes with sugar and lemon slices. Makes 4 cups or four 1-cup servings.

• fresh cold water
• 1/3 cup loose tea or 15 tea bags
• ice cubes
• sugar
• lemon slices

In 3-quart saucepan over high heat, heat 4 cups fresh cold water to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in tea. Stir, cover and leave 5 minutes. Stir again and strain into a pitcher containing an additional 4 cups fresh cold water. Cover and let stand until ready to serve. Serve over ice cubes with sugar and lemon slices.

When even boiling water raises a sweat, brew refreshing iced tea in the refrigerator. Fill a glass jar or pitcher with cold water and a few bags of your favorite tea and let them steep in the icebox overnight. Remove the teabags and add garnishes, such as citrus in black tea, fresh berries in berry tea, or mint leaves in green tea. Tea is most flavorful when freshly brewed, so don't leave it sitting out for more than eight hours, and discard it after one day.

• 10 tea bags
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups granulated sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Pour into a bottle and keep refrigerated.
Mix 5 parts of water to one part tea syrup concentrate or to your own taste.

• 60 ml strong tea
• 120 ml boiling water
• 2 tsp condensed milk
• crushed ice or ice cubes
• fresh mint, to garnish

Combine tea, boiling water and sweetened condensed milk in a jug. Stir until blended.
Pour into glasses filled with ice cubes or crushed ice. Garnish with mint leaves.

• 2 quarts bottled spring water or filtered water
• 1/4 cup loose black tea leaves or 8 standard tea bags
• sugar
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 8 leafy sprigs mint

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a teakettle. Put tea leaves in a deep, heatproof bowl or large teapot. As soon as the water begins to boil, pour over tea leaves, stir and let stand 4 minutes. It will be very strong. Pour liquid through a fine wire-mesh sieve or coffee filter into a pitcher. Add remaining quart of water and stir. Cool completely and serve over ice with sugar or other sweeteners, lemon and mint passed separately.

VARIATION: Southern Sweet Tea - Stir 1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar into the tea after straining it into serving pitcher. Stir until sugar dissolved. Add remaining water and cool. Sweetened tea is more perishable than unsweetened. Store it well sealed in a glass (not plastic) container in the refrigerator.