There’s no question that iced tea is a Southern staple, and with such a popular beverage comes plenty of delicious variations. One kind in particular, fruit tea (otherwise known as “tea punch”), infuses different types of fruits and juices. With summer right around the corner, we rounded up three delicious fruit tea recipes (and one spiked option!) that are perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot Southern summer day. Enjoy!
3 Fruit Tea Recipes (Plus 1 Spiked Option!)
Tasty Homemade Peach Tea
There may be no better fruit to enjoy during spring and summer than peaches. Combine the fruit with an ice-cold glass of tea and you’re in for a real treat. This homemade peach tea from mother-daughter duo Linda King and Anna Martin of Blessed Beyond Crazy is the perfect drink to sip on during a hot summer day. It calls for yellow peaches and is inspired by tea the bloggers received as a gift when a friend visited Africa. The result is a sweet combination of warm-weather flavors.
Peaches are one of the quintessential fruits of summer, so why not add them to your glass of tea?
Tasty Homemade Peach Tea
Ingredients
- 4 family-size black tea bags
- 6 green tea bags
- 2 quarts fresh filtered water divided
- ½ cup sugar or to taste (or sweetener of choice)
- 6 fresh peaches juiced and strained (or 2 cups of a purchased all-natural peach juice of choice)
- 2 cups fresh peaches sliced
- fresh mint
- 2 quarts ice cubes
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and steep black and green tea bags for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze liquid out of tea bags and discard.
- Add sugar (or sweetener of choice) to hot tea and stir until dissolved.
- Add peach juice and peach slices to tea and stir.
- Add 2 quarts ice cubes.
- Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.
- Serve.
Fruit Tea Punch
This fruit tea recipe is courtesy of the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN — a city where fruit tea populates many local restaurants’ menus. This classic recipe has notes of lemon and orange as well as a dash of cinnamon. If you’re looking to switch things up, the recipe also has a few variations. To make a refreshing cocktail, Loveless Cafe recommends mixing the fruit tea with dark rum and garnishing your drink with an orange slice. You can also swap out the lemonade and orange juice concentrates for pineapple or other flavors. For a spiced fruit tea, add five whole cloves and some star anise. Yum!
There’s no better way to get introduced to the world of fruit tea than with this classic recipe from Loveless Cafe. Image: Loveless Cafe
Fruit Tea Punch
Ingredients
- 8 cups water divided in half
- 1 family-size tea bag or 6 regular-size tea bags
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
- ½ cup frozen lemonade concentrate thawed
- orange slice, lemon, or fresh mint for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium-size saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil.
- Add tea bag and cinnamon stick, remove from heat and let stand for 5-7 minutes.
- Once steeped, remove cinnamon and tea bag.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Stir in orange juice and lemonade concentrates.
- Pour mixture into pitcher, add remaining 4 cups water and pour over ice.
- Garnish with fresh mint or lemon slice if desired.
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Pineapple Green Tea Punch
This citrusy-flavored fruit tea comes from Lisa Lotts of Garlic & Zest. Her pineapple green tea punch is inspired by summer days spent at her grandmother’s house sipping iced tea. It’s the perfect refreshment to serve at a socially distanced outdoor gathering as the recipe makes 28 servings. Plus, Lisa makes an ice ring and uses star-shaped silicone ice molds to add a fun touch to the drink’s presentation.
Serve this pineapple green tea punch at your next outdoor gathering! Image: Garlic & Zest
Pineapple Green Tea Punch
Equipment
- Tube pan or bundt pan
- Punch bowl
Ingredients
- 6 tea bags green tea
- 5 cups water divided
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
- ½ cup lime juice from 2-3 limes
- 4 cups pineapple juice
- 4 cups club soda
- 4 cups apple cider sparkling
For the Ice Ring
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 2 cups fresh fruit such as pineapple, maraschino cherries, grapes, kiwi, blueberries, or raspberries cut into bite-sized pieces
For Garnish
- lemons thinly sliced
- limes thinly sliced
- club soda additional, as necessary
Instructions
For the Punch
- Bring 4 cups of cold water to a boil. Add the tea bags and set aside to steep.
- Add sugar and remaining 1 cup water to a saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let the simple syrup cool for about 10 minutes
- Remove the tea bags from the tea (do not squeeze the tea bags).
- Combine the simple syrup, tea, and lemon and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until chilled. Refrigerate the pineapple juice, club soda and sparkling apple cider.
For the Ice Ring
- In a tube pan or bundt pan, scatter the fruit evenly and pour the pineapple juice over to cover the fruit. Place the pan in the freezer and chill until solid, several hours or overnight.
- To serve, pour the tea mixture, pineapple juice, sparkling apple juice and club soda into the punch bowl. Run hot water over the bottom of the tube or bundt pan for a few seconds to loosen the ice ring — it should pop right out. Float the ice ring in the punch bowl. Scatter slices of lemons and limes over the punch. Serve.
Notes
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Spiked Hibiscus Summer Tea
A fruit tea with hibiscus liqueur? Count us in! This spiked hibiscus tea comes from Elizabeth Van Lierde of The College Housewife. It’s the perfect libation to bring along to a girls’ night or family gathering, or just whip it up for a quiet night spent on the porch. If your local liquor store does not carry hibiscus liqueur, Elizabeth recommends replacing it with pomegranate, elderflower or any liquor with a floral flavor. She also says you can add up to an additional cup of rum to make the tea boozier. Or, omit the liquor all together for an equally tasty drink fit for all ages. (SB TIP: Elizabeth is slated to release her cookbook Everyday Entertaining late this year, so stay tuned!)
This spiked hibiscus tea tastes like summer in a cocktail glass. Image: The College Housewife
Spiked Hibiscus Summer Tea
Ingredients
- 1 liter black tea
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup pomegranate juice
- ½ cup hibiscus liqueur
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 pint gold raspberries
- 2 lemons thinly sliced
- 2 limes thinly sliced
- 2 cups strawberries quartered
- handful of fresh mint leaves
- ¼-½ cup sugar to your desire
Instructions
- Fill a large pitcher with fruit.
- Add in tea, juices, and liqueur. If sweetness is desired the omit sugar or add accordingly.
- Chill for 2-4 hours and serve over crushed ice.
Here’s to sipping fruit tea in the sunshine!
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