Iced Earl Grey Lemonade with Thyme
Iced Dragonfly Earl Grey Rooibos lemonade with lemon zest syrup, fresh lemon juice and a thyme sprig garnish.
This is an iced Earl Grey lemonade, a bergamot scented take on the classic mix of tea and lemonade you might know as an Arnold Palmer. It uses Dragonfly Organic Earl Grey Rooibos in place of black iced tea, so there is no caffeine, and a quick lemon zest syrup with a strip of orange peel echoes the orange side of the bergamot.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Iced Earl Grey Lemonade with Thyme recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/mocktails/iced earl grey lemonade with thyme/
The thyme garnish is worth a mention. Bergamot sits more happily with a woody herb than with mint, and a small thyme sprig in each glass keeps the drink on the grown up, garden party side of things. It is a good alcohol free choice for a summer lunch, where you might otherwise reach for a Pimms.
You'll need
- 4 Dragonfly Organic Earl Grey Rooibos pyramid bags
- 500ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
- 4 large unwaxed lemons (3 juiced through a sieve, 1 sliced into thin rounds for garnish)
- 80g golden caster sugar
- 80ml just boiled water (for the syrup)
- 1 strip of unwaxed orange peel, about 5cm long (for the syrup)
- 400ml well chilled still water
- Plenty of cubed ice for the jug and the serving glasses
- 4 small sprigs of fresh thyme, for the serving glasses (not mint; thyme is the herb that suits bergamot)
Method
- Start with the syrup. Grate the zest of one lemon into a small pan, then add the sugar, the 80ml of just boiled water and the strip of orange peel.
- Set over a medium heat and stir for about three minutes until the sugar dissolves and the syrup turns clear with a pale citrus tint. Take it off the heat and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, put the four Earl Grey Rooibos bags in a 1-litre heatproof jug, pour over the 500ml of rolling water, cover and steep for eight minutes.
- Lift out the bags, pressing each against the side, and discard.
- Strain the cooled syrup into the jug to leave the zest and orange peel behind, and stir it through the brew.
- Juice the three lemons through a sieve, about 180ml, and stir the juice in. Adding it after the syrup, rather than during the steep, keeps the tea from turning bitter.
- Add a good handful of ice and stir for thirty seconds to cool it down quickly; some of the ice will melt, which is part of getting the strength right.
- Stir in the chilled still water, then taste: a little more sugar if it is too sharp, a squeeze more lemon if it is too sweet.
- Fill four tall glasses with ice, pour the lemonade over, and add a lemon slice and a thyme sprig to each.
- Serve at once with long straws. The jug keeps in the fridge for up to half a day, but lift out the thyme after the first hour so it does not turn sharp.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Dragonfly Organic Earl Grey Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 100g
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