Southerners have long known that a tall glass of iced tea is one of the best ways to beat the summer heat, and the tip has clearly caught on, as over 75% of all of the tea consumed in the U.S. is iced rather than hot. The traditional add-ins for iced tea are sugar and lemon juice, but the next time you brew up a batch of iced tea, consider adding cranberry juice instead.
As with most things, homemade iced tea is superior to what's pre-brewed in the store; and there's little excuse not to do it fresh since tea leaves and water are all that is required. For something worthy of this tart twist, reach for a richly-flavored tea, like a black, white, or green variety. A good quality, non-flavored fresh black tea like Assam is a great place to start -- and it's definitely worth buying loose-leaf rather than bagged.
Lemons and granulated sugar are the typical iced tea additives, and there's nothing wrong with continuing in this tradition. The drink the legendary linksman Arnold Palmer gave his name to is a popular variation on the theme, blending together the equally refreshing iced tea and lemonade. But if you're in the mood for switching things up, substituting cranberry juice will still satisfy the balance of sweetness and astringency that makes iced tea so delicious. Cranberries are wonderfully tart and, therefore, a perfect complement to tea's natural tannins.
Because many name-brand cranberry juices are sweeter than soda while other, often organic versions, keep their sugar content as low as 9 grams a cup, you'll want either to choose your brand carefully or ease off the sugar when sweetening the brew.
So spruce up your next batch of iced tea with an appealing, reddish tint and refreshing tang, and give this typically cold-weather berry some summer love.
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