How to Make Proper Iced Tea (4 of 5) - Building a Drink

Iced Tea Recipe

Choosing what to use as your sweet or sour element, as well as how to garnish, will then come down to what tea you are hero-ing in your drink. 

RELATED: How to Make Proper Iced Tea: Hot Brew Method

The Sweet

We know from the Introducing Sweetness part of our series that there are a variety of ways to introduce the sweet element to your drink. Choose between the neutral flavour of white sugar or simple syrup and the caramel notes of brown sugar, or for something more floral go for honey or agave. 

RELATED: How to Make Proper Iced Tea: Introducing Sweetness

When it comes to citrus there are no right or wrong combinations, but there is some science to it. Lemon juice gives you a clean, crisp citrus hit up up front, which then fades to make room for more of the tea flavour and polyphenols in the drink - it therefore tends to work well with darker teas. Lime juice, by contrast, gives you less of the up front hit, but more of a complex, lingering zing, which is well-suited to teas with more vegetal notes. Limes are also more sour than lemons, so you’ll get more acidity in the final drink using limes.  

Garnishes are not only about visual appeal - they also add aromatics and subtle flavours to the final drink. For simple garnishes at home we like to work with fresh fruit and herbs, from lemon slices, lime wedges or orange zest to fresh herbs such as mint, thyme, rosemary or basil. Fruit slices will enhance fresh fruit flavours already in the drink, while using the zest by creating a ‘twist’ with a lemon or orange adds a more subtle fruit aroma - particularly when rubbed around the rim of the glass. Herbs such as cooling mint, fragrant rosemary or sweet, yet peppery basil add an extra layer of aromatics to the drink. 

Tips from the top

We are lucky enough to have worked with friend and cocktail-craftsman Sam, aka The Rum Runner, on cocktails for past events. A big fan of iced tea, he says ‘teas are super versatile and work with just about any combination of citrus, fruit and herbs. For me, black teas lend themselves better to hard herbs and fruit, whereas green and white teas work well with more fragrant notes and softer herbs’. 

A few other tips: 

• You can build your drink in the glass, but shaking the ingredients over ice livens up the drink. You can use a jar if you don’t have a shaker. 

• If using a citrus zest garnish, run it around the edge of the glass to release the oils, which bring the drink to life. 

• Fresh is best when using fruit and herb garnishes to ensure maximum flavour and aroma 

• Give your mint a good smack between your hands before adding it to the glass to release more of the minty aroma