Party Size Strawberry Iced Tea
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Yield:
1 Gallon
Serve this ‘berry’ special sweet tea by the gallon for celebrating with family and friends. It’s ideal for serving at big family meals, picnics, Southern style tea parties and other gatherings.
Ingredients
- 2 large lemons
- 32 ounces (2 pounds) fresh strawberries, washed and leafy stems removed
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 Luzianne Iced Tea Gallon Size tea bag (or 4 Family Size or 16 Individual Cup Size tea bags)
- 3 quarts fresh cold water, divided
- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Sliced lemon wheels, for garnish, optional
Directions
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from two lemons. Reserve the lemons for juicing or another use.
- Make the strawberry syrup: Puree the strawberries, sugar and cold water in a blender. Add the puree to a sauce pot. Add the lemon zest, bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 90 seconds. Set aside to steep for 20 minutes.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the solids from the liquid, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
- Place syrup in a resealable container in the refrigerator to cool.
- While the syrup is cooling, make a strong tea. Bring 1 quart of the water to a boil and remove from heat.
- In a pitcher, steep the gallon size tea bag in the just-boiled water for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag, squeeze to capture excess liquid, and discard tea bag.
- Add the 2 remaining quarts of water to the pitcher, the lemon juice, and the chilled strawberry syrup. Mix well to combine.
- Pour the tea into tall glasses filled with ice, garnish with lemon wheels and serve.
