Iced tea, once a drink only heard about on American TV shows, is becoming more popular in New Zealand. A deliciously refreshing beverage, iced tea is a perfect pick-me-up on a warm day and a great alternative to those sugar-packed canned sodas.

Making iced tea is a breeze. Below, you’ll find three iced tea recipes: plain, lemon and peach.

Plain Iced Tea

1. Make a brew of tea using 4 teabags and 4 cups of water (filtered water will give a far better taste). Allow the tea to steep for no more than 5 minutes, otherwise it may become bitter. You can use either traditional black tea or lighter-tasting green tea.
2. In a large jug place 1 cup of sugar and 4 cups of cold (filtered) water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour your brewed tea into the sugar/water mixture and stir. Adding the hot tea to the cold water helps prevent the finished drink from becoming cloudy.
4. Allow to cool further then serve in glasses over ice. Sprigs of mint make an attractive garnish.

Lemon Iced Tea

For a tangy alternative, make a jug of plain iced tea as above, but add 60 ml of lemon juice to the cold water before you add the hot tea.

Sweetness is a matter of taste and you may find that the tartness of the lemon demands a little more sugar.

Peach Iced Tea

Peach flavoured iced tea is one of the most popular commercial varieties of the drink on the market. You can make your own by following the peach iced tea recipe below.

1. Peel and slice two fresh ripe peaches. If peaches are not in season you can use canned peaches instead.
2. Place the chopped peaches in a large jug along with 4 teabags (either black or green) and add 4 cups of boiling water.
3. Allow the tea to steep for five minutes then remove the tea bags.
4. Add one cup of sugar and allow to dissolve.
5. Add 4 cups of cold water and allow the beverage to stand until cool.

You can either remove the peach slices now, or leave them in the jug as you serve the drink (in glasses over ice).

Enjoy Immediately

Iced tea will keep overnight in the fridge, but tea has a delicate flavour and for the best iced tea experience it should be drunk the same day.