Description
Refreshing homemade lemonade infused with rich cherry tea concentrate. Perfect for a summer day!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup dried tart cherries
- 6 black tea bags (English Breakfast or Earl Grey work well)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 8–10 lemons)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 6 cups cold water
- Ice cubes
- Fresh cherries, for garnish (optional)
- Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the 8 cups of water and 1 cup of dried tart cherries. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and let it simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the 6 black tea bags, making sure they are fully submerged in the cherry-infused water. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
- After steeping, remove the tea bags and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Add the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar (or more, to taste) to the hot cherry tea. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed.
- Let the cherry tea concentrate cool completely to room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the saucepan in an ice bath or transferring the concentrate to a heat-safe container and refrigerating it for a couple of hours.
- Once cooled, strain the cherry tea concentrate through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (if you have it) to remove any cherry solids.
- Squeeze the juice from about 8-10 lemons until you have 1 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice.
- While you can simply mix the lemon juice, sugar, and water together, I find that making a quick simple syrup helps the sugar dissolve more easily and creates a smoother lemonade. To make a simple syrup, combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool slightly before using.
- In a large pitcher, combine the 1 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice, 1 cup of granulated sugar (or the cooled simple syrup), and 6 cups of cold water. Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved. Taste and adjust the sweetness and tartness as needed.
- Refrigerate the lemonade for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- In the large pitcher of lemonade, slowly pour in the cooled cherry tea concentrate. Start with about 1 cup and taste. Add more concentrate until you reach your desired level of cherry flavor.
- Stir the mixture well to combine the cherry tea concentrate and lemonade evenly.
- Fill glasses with ice cubes.
- Pour the cherry tea lemonade over the ice. Garnish with fresh cherries, lemon slices, and/or fresh mint sprigs, if desired.
- Serve the cherry tea lemonade immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Adjust Sweetness: The amount of sugar in both the cherry tea concentrate and the lemonade can be adjusted to your liking.
- Use Different Teas: While I recommend black tea for this recipe, you can experiment with other types of tea, such as green tea or white tea.
- Add Sparkling Water: For a fizzy twist, top off each glass of cherry tea lemonade with a splash of sparkling water or club soda.
- Make it a Cocktail: For an adult version of this drink, add a shot of vodka, gin, or rum to each glass. Cherry vodka would be especially delicious!
- Freeze for Later: You can freeze the cherry tea concentrate in ice cube trays for later use.
- Infuse with Herbs: Try infusing the cherry tea concentrate with fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme for a more complex flavor.
- Use Honey or Maple Syrup: Instead of granulated sugar, you can use honey or maple syrup to sweeten the cherry tea concentrate and lemonade.
- Make it a Slushie: Blend the cherry tea lemonade with ice for a refreshing slushie.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes