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Iced tea has been around for over a century. It all started on a hot summer day in St Louis, at the World’s Fair [1], when a British tea merchant added ice to the tea. Throughout the years, iced tea evolved from a simple hot-brewed tea dust or fannings served over ice into hundreds of styles, quality grades and flavors.

Many iced tea classics such as peach iced tea or traditional Southern sweet tea certainly don’t need any introductions. Iced tea with lemonade is a classic as well, with a super refreshing flavor and it’s pretty too.

How to make it at home? It’s really easy.

What is iced tea with lemonade?

Iced tea with lemonade is more than just an iced tea with some lemon juice. There are many ways to make it, and each will give a different flavor. You can choose different types of teas, different ratio of lemonade to iced tea, different ways to brew tea or even add other condiments. It’s super refreshing, delicious, and definitely a must try if you love zesty flavors. Plus, you can serve it layered, which makes it prettier than a regular iced tea.

One of the most popular types of iced tea with lemonade is Arnold Palmer, a drink named after a professional golfer who asked for his iced tea to be served with lemonade [2]. Iced teas, or teas in general, often have creative names, but rarely, if ever, do they carry a name of a person. The original Arnold Palmer drink is made with half black iced tea and half lemonade.

5 Tips for making the best iced tea with lemonade

1. Use high-quality tea

While in theory you could use any tea for making this iced tea, higher quality tea leaves will certainly give a better flavor. Many recipes will call for tea bags, but tea bags may be too bitter and brew into a cloudy tea. Want a superior flavor? Choose a full-bodied, flavorful loose leaf tea.

2. Choose the best type

Almost any unflavored black tea will be suitable for making an iced tea with lemonade, but some flavors are better than the others. With deep fruity and floral notes, second flush Darjeeling is a wonderful choice. Earl Grey with aromatic citrusy bergamot and crisp and floral Sri Lankan teas are amazing as well. Other excellent alternatives are full-bodied breakfast blends. You can also make it with green tea. Gunpowder and sencha will both go well with lemonade. Flavored blends with citruses or red fruits are a wonderful choice as well.

3. Choose the best brewing method

The best iced tea is usually made with hot brewed tea. However, cold brewing is an option too. If your black tea is more on the bitter side and murky, cold brewing will reduce bitterness and offer a milder and fresher flavor. Besides, it will reduce the caffeine content.  

4. Make a sweeter lemonade

If you want to achieve a layered look, use less lemonade and make it sweeter. For making a tasty strong lemonade, you’ll need 1 lemon per 5 oz of water and at least 4 teaspoons of sugar. Use 8 for regular sweetness and 9 or more for a sweeter tea. This will be enough for 4 servings of iced tea. Using less lemonade will help you achieve a prettier look, especially if you are using lots of ice.

5. Do not add sugar to tea

If you want to keep the layers separated, do not add any sugar to tea. For a sweeter drink, add more sugar to lemonade instead. You can replace sugar with honey as well.

Black Tea with Lemonade Recipe

This recipe if for 4 servings of iced tea. This is a layered drink. so do not use a pitcher, use 4 large glasses instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, juice
• 4-8 teaspoons of sugar (4 if you prefer lightly sweet tea, and 8 if you like regular sweetness. This will equal 1-2 teaspoons of sugar per serving.)
• 5 oz of cold water
• 4 teaspoons of black tea leaves
• 22 oz of boiling water (or 10 oz of boiling water and 12 oz of cold water if you want to make a stronger tea first and top it up with cold water and add less ice)

Steps:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Steep 2 teaspoons of black tea leaves in boiling water. Strain after 5 minutes. Do not over-steep it as black tea will often become bitter.
3. Squeeze lemon juice into a clean glass. Add water and sugar and stir.
4. Add lemon juice into a glass. Add ice.
5. Pour tea directly onto ice.
6. Add more ice if needed and serve with a straw.

Tip: If needed, you can store your tea in a serving glass in the fridge and enjoy it later. Layers won’t blend.

Sources

[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/iced-tea

[2] https://time.com/4507209/arnold-palmer-drink-history/