Tea Party Beverages

We served three cold beverages at our tea:

• Lemonade
• Iced Tea
• Water

My sister-in-law makes great lemonade and I got the original recipe from her.  However, like most of my recipes, I've tweaked it a bit to increase the amount and lessen the sweetness just a bit.  It starts with a simple syrup of which there are many variations.

Lemonade
Bring to boil in a saucepan:
4 C sugar
3 C water

Add this to 3 cups of lemon juice and 12 C of water/ice.  I use purchased lemon juice and serve it in a clear, 2-gallon container.

Slice strawberries and add to the lemonade.  You can also chop and slightly mash the berries and mix with a bit of sugar before adding to the lemonade.  This will color the lemonade, too.  Raspberries can also be used.

Iced Tea
Personally, I am not a tea drinker and searched the internet some time ago to find an easy and successful Iced Tea recipe to serve at family gatherings.  Wa-la!

Boil 1 C of water.  Add 8 tea bags and let steep for several minutes.  Dilute with 3 additional cups of water.  This multiplies easily for additional servings.  I usually make 3 recipes and set out next to the lemonade as many in our family will mix the two beverages for a refreshing drink.