Cold-Brew Iced Tea & Honey-Mint Lemonade Half-and-Half

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The golf-course classic, rebuilt around the tea instead of the sugar. Black tea steeped cold overnight comes out clean and malty with none of the tannic bite you get from hot-brewed tea that's been iced, and it gets poured over cubes frozen from the same tea so the last glass tastes like the first. The lemonade half is sweetened with a warm honey-mint syrup rather than plain sugar, which keeps the whole pitcher tasting like an infusion and not a soft drink.

Ingredients

• 8 bags black tea bags (Ceylon, orange pekoe, or English breakfast), or 3 tablespoons loose-leaf
• 7 cups cold filtered water

• 1/2 cup honey (clover or wildflower)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 lemon, cut into thin wheels
• 6 sprigs fresh mint

Instructions

1. Make the cold brew the night before: put 8 tea bags (or 3 tablespoons loose leaf tied in a coffee filter or tea sock) in a 2-quart pitcher or large jar, add 7 cups cold filtered water, cover, and refrigerate 12 to 16 hours. Cold water pulls out flavor without the tannins that make iced tea bitter, so it is very hard to over-steep — but past 24 hours it starts to taste flat.
2. Lift out the tea bags and press them gently against the side of the jar; do not wring them hard or you will squeeze out bitter solids. Strain loose tea through a fine-mesh sieve.
3. Freeze the tea ice: pour 2 cups of the finished tea into two ice cube trays and freeze at least 4 hours or overnight. Keep the remaining 5 cups of tea refrigerated. (If you're short on time, skip this and use regular ice — see tips.)
4. Make the honey-mint syrup: combine the honey and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm, stirring, just until the honey dissolves and the mixture reaches about 180°F, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it boil — boiling dulls honey's floral character.
5. Off the heat, stir in the mint leaves, pressing them under the surface with a spoon. Steep uncovered for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing lightly on the leaves. Discard the mint and chill the syrup in the refrigerator or over an ice bath for about 15 minutes.
6. Stir the fresh lemon juice and a pinch of fine sea salt into the cooled honey-mint syrup. You should have about 1 3/4 cups of concentrated lemonade base. Taste: it should be sharply tart, since the tea will soften it.
7. Combine in a pitcher: add 4 cups of the cold-brew tea to the lemonade base and stir well. Taste and adjust — a splash more tea for a maltier, drier drink, another tablespoon of lemon juice for more snap. Chill until very cold, at least 30 minutes.
8. Fill six tall glasses with the frozen tea cubes. Pour the half-and-half over the top, tuck in a lemon wheel, and slap a mint sprig against your palm before adding it to each glass to release the oils. Serve immediately, with the extra tea on the side for topping off.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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