Summertime means grilling time! If you are looking for some delicious foods to drink with your ice cold, flavorful black berry tea try Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Mexican Grilled Corn on the side. And make Cherry Cheesecake Dump Cake for dessert if you want to see giant smiles.
Sweet Iced Tea Recipe
Is it easy for you to find sweet blackberries? Like those really sweet and juicy blackberries? I don’t think I’ve had a really ripe, delicious blackberry in years. It seems like every package of blackberries I get contain sour, bitterish tasting berries.
My family would often visit this adorable little coastal town in California, when I was much younger. There were all these unique shops and tons of antique stores.
We’d always park in this dirt parking lot next to this giant blackberry bush. More often than not, the blackberries were already picked over by tourists. Usually, what was left over were some scraggly berries that were either not fully ripened or had already been munched on by bugs.
Sometimes, if we looked closely we could find buried berries amongst the briars. Of course, we’d get poked and scratched trying to reach in for them. But the reward was always SOOOO worth it. Those dark berries tasted like dust covered, sunshine.
We were kids, the dust didn’t matter much to us. Just wipe ’em off on our shirts and pop ’em in our mouths.
Blackberry syrup for tea
Blackberry tea is best enjoyed with friends and family on a porch swing on a hot sunny day. Aren’t summer berries the best? I love making ice tea at home and using berries in the tea just makes it so much better.
This is a basic iced tea recipe that has some added pizzazz due to the blackberry simple syrup. This syrup really adds a delicious flavor to the tea, plus a little sweetness. And it’s so easy to make.
If you love specialty drinks, try making this violet lemonade.
Can I Use Decaffeinated Tea?
I love the option of being able to use decaffeinated tea especially if I am sharing the tea with the kids. I like to make our iced tea with decaffeinated tea bags so my kids aren’t getting much caffeine (I know that there is still a little in there). They just have enough energy on their own and definitely do not need that extra boost, like I do.
Can you make iced tea with regular tea bags?
Yes, you can. This iced tea recipe is made with family sized tea bags, but you could use regular tea bags instead. You will need 5-6 small tea bags.
How to make homemade sweet tea
Learning how to make homemade iced tea is super easy, it’s a MUST for the summer months. It’s so important to stay hydrated and drinking iced tea can help. All you need to do is make the blackberry syrup, make the hot tea, and combine everything together. If you like fruit teas, try this mango iced tea.
Can you Freeze Sweet Tea?
Sweetened black tea freezes really well. I like to use glass or plastic bottles, but with glass you need to be very cautious because it can shatter in the freezer. Just make sure to leave 1-2 inches of space at the top of the container and it also helps to leave the cap off.
Is it Iced tea or Ice Tea?
If you are feeling lazy you can call it ice tea, but it is technically “iced” tea. How do you like to say it?
Blackberry Iced Tea Ingredients
- Blackberries: Fresh blackberries that have been rinsed.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
- Water: I like to use filtered water. You will need water for the blackberry simple syrup and for the tea, one cup for the simple syrup, and eight cups for the tea.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Tea: Black tea either family sized tea bags or regular sized tea bags.
How to Make Blackberry Tea
- Make the simple syrup. In a medium sauce pan, add in the water, sugar and blackberries. Smash the blackberries with a potato masher and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Make the tea. In a separate pan, bring four cups of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add in the tea bags, allowing them to steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Strain the blackberry simple syrup. Turn the heat off on the blackberry simple syrup, letting it cool for about 5 minutes. Pour blackberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a medium bowl. Press down on the berries with the back of a spoon to get all the juice out.
- Mix the tea. Add the simple syrup to the pitcher. Pour in the hot tea, then 4 cups of cold water into the pitcher. Either mix in all of the simple syrup to the tea and place in the refrigerator or put simple syrup in a small pourable container to serve with the cold tea.
- Garnish. Serve over ice, add in some whole blackberries, and optional fresh mint.
Best Blackberry Tea Tips and Variations
- Use different tea. Try using green tea instead of black tea.
- Just simple syrup. You could leave the blackberries out of the syrup (it will just be simple syrup). Just follow the directions and use the same amount of water and sugar. This makes a sweet iced tea recipe.
- Steep it for longer. Steep the tea up to 15 minutes for stronger tea.
- Serve the blackberry simple syrup on the side. Instead of mixing in all of the simple syrup to the tea, put simple syrup in a small pourable container to serve with the cold tea.
- Using a measuring cup. Straining the blackberry syrup into a 4-cup glass measuring cup works well because it makes it easy to pour into the pitcher.
- Frozen tea. Take a bottle of frozen tea with you and it will melt through the day.
Sweet Iced Tea Commonly Asked Questions
- When was iced tea invented? It’s said that iced tea was invented in 1904 in the World’s Fair in St. Louis, MO, however, it seems that it’s been around longer than that.
- Where was iced tea invented? People have been drinking cold iced tea since the 1800’s down in the southern states in the U.S. Way before that 1904 World Fair.
- Why is my iced tea cloudy? Your iced tea may become cloudy if you do not allow it to cool down completely before putting it in the refrigerator.
- Will iced tea dehydrate you? Tea is unlikely to dehydrate you caffeinated or uncaffeinated. If you drink more than 5 cups of caffeinated iced tea it can have a diuretic affect on your body. Which can add to dehydration.
- How do you make iced tea at home? You no longer need to buy pre-made tea or powdered tea. It’s so easy to just make your own tea right in your own kitchen. Just follow the easy iced tea directions below.
- Is drinking iced tea as good as drinking water? Drinking tea is better than not drinking anything at all, but water is still the best thing to drink to stay hydrated.
- How long will blackberry simple syrup last in the refrigerator? This blackberry syrup will last up to 3-4 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Sweetened Black Tea Storage Instructions
- How to Refrigerate: Put tea in a pitcher and store in the refrigerator. It will last about 5 days in a covered pitcher.
- How to Freeze: Let the tea cool off completely. Pour tea in either a glass or plastic bottle, leaving at least 1-2 inches of space at the top. Leave the cap off to allow further expansion. Once tea has frozen completely, cover it. Make sure to label with the recipe and the date. Tea can stay frozen for 6-8 months.
- How to Thaw Tea: Frozen tea can be thawed either in the refrigerator or out on the counter.
Try more drink recipes!
- Apple Cider Slushie
- Baby Yoda Cocktail
- Banana Pineapple Smoothie
- Mint Iced Coffee
- Mild and Delicate Guava White Tea
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Blackberry Iced Tea
Ingredients
Blackberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups blackberries, fresh
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Tea
- 2-3 family size tea bags
- 8 cups water, divided
- ice
- mint, optional
Instructions
-
In a medium sauce pan, add in the water, sugar and blackberries. Smash the blackberries with a potato masher and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
-
In a separate pot, bring four cups of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add in the tea bags, allowing them to steep for 3-5 minutes.
-
Turn the heat off on the blackberry simple syrup, letting it cool for about 5 minutes. Pour blackberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a medium bowl. Press down on the berries with the back of a spoon to get all the juice out.
-
Add the simple syrup to the pitcher. Pour in the hot tea, then 4 cups of cold water into the pitcher. Either mix in all of the simple syrup to the tea and place in the refrigerator or put simple syrup in a small pourable container to serve with the cold tea.
-
Add in ice, some whole blackberries, and optional fresh mint.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of mixing in all of the simple syrup to the tea, put simple syrup in a small pourable container to serve with the cold tea.
- Straining the blackberry syrup into a 4-cup glass measuring cup works well because it makes it easy to pour into the pitcher.
- The blackberry syrup will last up to 3-4 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- This blackberry sweet tea will last 5 days in the refrigerator.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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