Mixed Berries Ice Tea

Ice Tea has been one of the coolest inventions (pun intended) till date in the beverage section of human sampling!Believe me what started off as a live,leafy bush was dried and made into one beverage which took half the world by storm!The other half was Coffee which I buy from https://favy.com .I will not say anything about liquor and liqueurs as they were there long before these two addictions came up (and I would say for the better)!The Caffeine factor was and is discussed openly (and sometimes loudly) by the lovers of the prehistoric fermented concoctions but for me both tea and coffee are as important as both pull at my heart strings!The place where I grew up is India’s tea drinking territory and the place where I belong is India’s coffee belt!Sighhh….so much for diversity talks!

The theme for the 153rd FoodieMonday Bloghop was Types of Tea!

The weather here is warm and nice and perfect for outings and picnics and so I thought I would do an Iced Tea theme which is so liked by everyone I know.

I was invited to a photoshoot by a client who supplied fruit and vegetables in nearby areas and who wanted an attractive flyer for her products.She only wanted to shoot berries for this time as she had tied up with a local Berry Farm which supplied her the required quantities but for which she did not have a flyer to distribute!Her place provided the ample space and light and at the end of the shoot she was exhausted beyond limits!I had already prepared the berry preserve and simple syrup and all I had to do was to brew the tea and mix everything for a fabulous serving of Iced Tea!The drink revived her and she actually came to see me home till her door!The shoots (I modestly claim) are one of my best till date and it shows that you tend to work better when you have someone affectionate and simple to be with you!

My photoshoot of the berries…

This recipe consists of 3 easy “made in a jiffy” step sub recipes :

1. The Berry Preserve
2. The Simple Syrup
3. The Black Tea Brew

NOTE :

If you want to add in something special you can opt for a dash of Red/White Wine,Beer,Gin,Brandy or Rum.Rose Wine goes best if you ask my opinion!

I have prepared fruit juice Ice Cubes as an attractive garnish.You may use plain ice cubes or of your choice.I froze peach juice in ice cube trays to get beautifully yellow ice cubes which went wonderfully well with the Iced Tea!

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking and Cooling Time : 30 minutes

Makes : 2 – 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Berry Preserve :

2 tbsp Blueberries

3 – 4 Blackberries

3 – 4 Strawberries

2 tbsp Raspberries

4 – 5 Cherries

2 tbsp powdered sugar

For the simple syrup :

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the tea brew:

3 cups water

2 tea bags (use 1 if you want a milder tasting brew)

I used Orange Pekoe

To garnish :

Fruit Juice Ice Cubes (optional)

METHOD

The berry preserve :

Chop up the berries and put them as well as the sugar in a pan.

Put the pan on medium heat and very soon you will see the fruit turning soft and mashed and as the pectin releases from the berries,the fruits will come and gel together.Do not cook too much as it will become a jam.Let it remain runny as we need to mix the syrup in this.Keep aside to cool.

The simple syrup :

Mix the sugar and water and place on medium heat.Cook for 7 minutes till the syrup starts to begin thickening.Take off heat and cool.After it cools down add the vanilla extract.

The tea brew :

Boil the water with the tea bags till it boils down to 2 cups of black tea.Take off heat and cool to room temperature,then put it in in the refrigerator.

Making the Iced Tea :

Mix the simple syrup into the preserve and blend well with a whisk.

Add this to the prepared and now cold tea and mix well.Divide the tea between attractive glasses and top with some of the fruit juice ice cubes.

Serve immediately.

A view of my photoshoots…