Cool drinks for a hot summer

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| Wednesday, July 9, 2008 11:16 AM CDT | () comments

(GANNETT NEWS SERVICE) Tropical island tea with slices of fresh pineapple and kiwi is a tangy alternative to iced tea. Buy this Photo

TIMES WIRE REPORTS

Iced tea, while tasty year-round, can be especially satisfying in the summer. Sweetened or unsweetened, parching one’s thirst or accompanying a snack, it’s a widespread alternative to carbonated drinks.

These days, tea comes ready to consume in cans, as liquid concentrates or powder. Serious fans of iced tea, however, insist that the only way to make it is fresh, starting with loose tea leaves or bags and brewing them in hot water.

Some tea lovers make what they call “sun tea” that they brew without having to heat up the kitchen. A glass container of water, with tea bags inserted, is placed outdoors or inside near a sunny window to brew to desired strength. The final product may be served with lemon or mint.

A sprig of mint always perks up a glass of tea for cookbook author and Food Network doyenne Paula Deen. Sweet tea — the House Wine of the South, as some call it — is Deen’s preferred warm-weather sip.

Cassandra Harrell of Jackson, Tenn., has a recipe for old-fashioned sweet tea that she remembers her mother making when she was growing up. It calls for adding tea bags to boiling water and then letting the tea bags steep, after which sugar is added and then lemon juice.

“We mostly had it with Sunday dinner when my grandmother made her delicious butter pound cake for dessert,” recalls Harrell, who maintains a soul food Web site at www.soul-food-advisor.com and has a “Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook” available there.

“This recipe,” she says, “is an old standby that is very popular in the South.”

Kelle Northern of Bells, Tenn., makes a fruit tea with lemon, orange and pineapple juices. “I serve it mostly in the spring and summer when my fresh pineapple sage is available in my herb garden. A sprig makes a nice garnish to a glass and adds to the fruity flavor,” she says.

Mema’s Gallon Tea is named for Jackson resident Mavis Johnson’s mother-in-law. “Whenever the family gathered at my in-laws’ home,” she says, “there was quite a crowd, and Mema’s Gallon Tea never ran out — no matter how hot and thirsty we were.“

Another fruit iced tea recipe comes from Jane Ann Lane, of Milan, Tenn. Called House of Grace Tea, Lane received the recipe — made with instant tea — from a friend in Paducah, Ky., more than 23 years ago. She’s diabetic, so she replaces the sugar with Splenda and the lemonade mix with sugar-free lemonade mix.

Regular or sugar-free, Lane likes her tea as Deen does: garnished with a sprig of mint.

Sangria: master of improvisation

Traditional sangrias are luscious, bold blends of fruits, wine and spirits, often served in pitchers or punch bowls. But this wonderfully refreshing summer drink from Spain and Portugal leaves plenty of room for improvisation.

An instant mock sangria is easily made by combining a splash of lemon or lime juice with a teaspoon or two of sugar in a tall glass. Add ice, then fill the glass with red wine and stir.

Beverage consultant Kim Haasarud offers dozens of riffs on sangria in her recent “101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks,” including a New Zealand Kiwi Sangria, which combines sauvignon blanc, melon liqueur, kiwis and pineapple.

In her book, Haasarud also offers tips for speeding up sangria, which tastes best when allowed to infuse at least several hours. If you’re short on time, she suggests lightly mashing some of the fruit, which releases the juices.

Another option is to heat the fruit in a small amount of simple syrup over low heat. Haasarud says this softens the skins of the fruit and helps them release their flavor. The fruit and syrup can then be cooled and added to the sangria.

To make simple syrup (the sweetener used in many sangria recipes), combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan, then heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely before using.

—The Associated Press

Strawberry Honey Mojito

Here’s another cool drink to beat the summertime heat.

While strawberries, honey and mint make a splendid combination in this seasonal take on the traditional mojito, any fresh berry or tender fruit would work, including blueberries, raspberries, even thinly sliced chunks of pineapple.

—The Associated Press

DRINK RECIPES

Paula Deen’s Sweet Tea

7 tea bags

1 cup sugar

mint sprigs

lemon wedges

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a kettle. Add the 4 tea bags and turn off the heat immediately.

Place the lid on the kettle and allow the tea to steep for 1 hour. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea into a pitcher. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

Add 4 cups water. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint and a lemon wedge.

Makes 2 quarts, about 10 servings.

Source: “Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style” by Paula Deen (2005, Simon & Schuster, $25)

Old-Fashioned Sweet Tea

8 cups water

3 tea bags, regular

1 cup white sugar, more to taste

1/3 cup lemon juice

In a large saucepan, heat water to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and drop in tea bags. Cover and let steep for a half-hour. In a large pitcher, combine steeped tea and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate until chilled.

Makes 2 quarts, about 10 servings.

Source: Cassandra Harrell, Jackson, Tenn.

House of Grace Tea

1/4 cup plain instant tea

1 cup sugar

3/8 cup lemonade mix

1/2 cup white grape juice

Mix the ingredients in a two-quart container. Add water to complete the two quarts. A sprig of mint adds a refreshing touch to this tea.

Makes 2 quarts, about 10 servings.

Reduced-sugar version:

1/4 cup plain instant tea

1/2 cup Splenda

1 tablespoon sugar-free lemonade mix (such as Crystal Light)

1/2 cup white grape juice

Mix as above.

Source: Jane Ann Lane, Milan, Tenn.

Strawberry Honey Mojito

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 1

3 strawberries

5 fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon honey

1 lime

Ice cubes

11/2 ounces light rum

2 ounces soda water

In a tall glass, combine the strawberries, mint leaves and honey. Muddle them until the strawberries are well-crushed and the mint leaves are bruised.

Juice half the lime in the glass. Cut the remaining half of the lime into wedges. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice, then add the lime wedges. Pour in the rum and soda water. Stir gently and serve.

Fruit Tea

3 cups boiling water

3 family-size tea bags

1 cup sugar (less if you do not like it so sweet)

4 cups cold water

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Pour 3 cups of boiling water over tea bags. Cover and steep five minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.

Stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in 4 cups cold water and juices. Serve over ice.

Makes 2 quarts, about 10 servings.

Source: Kelle Northern, Bells, Tenn.

Mema’s Gallon Tea

4 family size tea bags

1 quart boiling water

Sugar to taste or a sugar substitute

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice, undiluted

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade, undiluted

1 can (16 ounces to 24 ounces) pineapple juice

1 gallon jug or container

In the gallon jug, steep tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and sweeten to taste while the tea is hot.

Add the orange juice, lemonade and pineapple juice. Add water to fill the gallon jug. Pour into ice-filled glasses and enjoy garnished with sprigs of mint.

Makes 16-20 servings.

Source: Mavis Johnson, Jackson, Tenn.

Red, White and Blue Sangria

Start to finish: 15 minutes (plus at least 4 hours chilling)

Servings: About 7

1 bottle dry white wine

1/2 cup triple sec

1/4 cup citrus- or berry-flavored vodka

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup simple syrup

3/4 cup blueberries

3/4 cup hulled and sliced strawberries

3/4 cup raspberries

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

Combine all ingredients in a large glass punch bowl or pitcher and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve over ice.

Source: Kim Haasarud’s “101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks,” Wiley, 2008)