Homemade Lemon Tea Cordial
Strong lemon tea simmered into a keep in the fridge syrup with sugar, lemon zest and juice, ready to dilute over ice.
A homemade cordial is a lovely way to stretch a flavoured tea right through the summer. You brew the lemon tea strong, then simmer it down with sugar, the zest of three lemons and a good squeeze of juice until it turns into a syrup that keeps happily in the fridge.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Homemade Lemon Tea Cordial recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/cocktails/homemade lemon tea cordial/
After that it is one part cordial to about four parts water, still or sparkling, over ice. The zest is what really makes it, carrying far more lemon oil and aroma than the juice on its own. Makes roughly 500ml, which works out at twenty good glasses.
You'll need
- 4 tea bags of Lipton Black Tea with Spanish Lemons
- 500ml freshly drawn water at 100C, just off the boil
- 250g caster sugar
- Zest of 3 fresh Spanish lemons, finely grated
- 50ml fresh lemon juice
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 fine sieve lined with muslin for straining
- 1 sterilised 500ml glass bottle with cap
- 1 saucer for covering the steep
Method
- Brew the four tea bags in 500ml of just boiled water for four minutes, covered, then lift them out and press gently.
- Tip the tea into a pan with the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Strain through a muslin lined sieve to catch the zest.
- Pour into a sterilised bottle while still warm, seal and chill.
- To serve, mix one part cordial with four parts cold or sparkling water over ice.
- Tip: keep it in the fridge and use within two weeks, as there are no preservatives in it.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Lipton Black Tea with Spanish Lemons, 20 Tea Bags 34g
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