Recipe: Orange Mint Iced Tea

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-08-13
From: recipelink.com

Orange Mint Iced Tea
From: Bobbi Zee
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
source: Newspaper
Makes about 6 to 8 servings

8 cups water
orange juice (for ice cubes)
8 tea bags
12 or more fresh mint leaves, divided
sugar (to taste) (optional)
1 orange, cut in slices and the slices in half
1 lemon, cut in slices and the slices in half

Pour the orange juice into an ice-cube tray and freeze to make ice cubes.

TO PREPARE THE TEA:
Heat the 8 cups water to a boil. Pour over tea bags and 6 mint leaves. (If sweetened tea is preferred, add a little sugar at this point and stir to dissolve.)

Let the tea steep for about 10 minutes, then remove tea bags. Cool tea completely and remove mint. Refrigerate until it will be used.

TO MAKE SUN TEA:
In a clear jar or pitcher, combine the tea and water and let stand in the sun for several hours. Or, if you have more time, combine the tea bags with cold water and refrigerate for at least a day.

TO SERVE THE TEA:
Pour it into a pitcher and add orange-juice ice cubes, 6 mint leaves and fruit slices. Or serve individually in tall glasses, each serving with a mint leaf, orange-juice cubes and slice of both lemon and orange.

NOTE:
If the tea becomes cloudy when it is refrigerated, add a small amount of boiling water to it to clear it up. Cloudiness can occur if the tea is not completely cool when refrigerated.