On a hot day, one of my favorite treats is a cool summer drink. I’m always guzzling water, but sometimes I crave a little more flavor. What I don’t want, however, is all the extra calories that traditional juices and sodas can bring. When it comes to sprucing up my chilled drinks, I find inspiration from seasonal ingredients at my farmers’ market — fruits, herbs, you name it. Plop a few in some home-brewed tea or spritzer and you’ve got a delicious treat. Here are two recipes to try.
Berry Spritzer
4 raspberries
4 blackberries
4 mint leaves
1/2 lime (juice and zest)
6 ounces of seltzer
Ice
Place berries and mint in glass. Muddle to release juice and oil. Add lime zest and juice. Place juiced lime in glass container. Muddle to mix. Add ice and seltzer. Stir and enjoy! Makes a single serving.
Tea
As you probably know, teas are packed with flavonoids and antioxidants that are beneficial to our bodies. (Read more about tea HERE.) There are so many types and flavors — green, white, oolong and red to name a few — that there’s lots of room for creativity. I really like jazzing up white teas with citrus fruits and herbs. Fruits are naturally sweet so there’s no need to add extra sugar (which means extra, non-nutritious calories).
Refrigerator Tea
How many people, like me, grew up drinking Sun Tea? It was a summer classic. Unfortunately, Sun Tea is considered unsafe by the CDC because there’s a risk for bacterial growth. That doesn’t mean you have to go without slow-brewed tea.
To make refrigerator tea, take a large pitcher and fill it with water. Add 4 teabags (your choice of brand and flavor) per quart of water. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Strain and remove teabags and serve with a dash of your favorite natural or no-calorie sweetener.
For some extra flare:
• Add herbs (mint, basil, rosemary, etc.)
• Add fruit (melon, citrus and berries are my favorite)
- Read More:
- Why We Love Tea
- Why We Love Herbal Tea
- Have You Tried These Natural Sweeteners?
- Tips & Recipes for Lighter Iced Tea
Katie Cavuto Boyle, MS, RD, owns HealthyBites, LLC and is a finalist on The Next Food Network Star, which premieres tonight, June 7, on Food Network.
Does brewing green tea in the refrigerator release as many of the flavonoids and antioxidants as hot brewing?
I sure hope Katie wins the Next Food Network Star. Would love to see a show she would do, with “healthy cooking” as the theme.
Thanks for this recipe. I have some herbal teas and I don’t like to drink them hot, so this refrigerator tea will be perfect to increase my ‘healthy’ tea consumption.
Looks very refreshing can’t wait to try this out on a hot summer day. Thanks!!!
Thanks, Katie! Would like to see more refreshing summer drink recipes without alcohol- not that I don’t like alcohol- but due to a medication I must take,alcohol is prohibited.I’m sure there must be others out there like me, that would also appreciate it.
Your recipe for Berry Spritzer looks really good, but the list of ingredients calls for “Seltzer” and the directions says “tonic”. Which one do you prefer ?
Good catch, Barbara. We changed it to “seltzer” in the ingredients because that would make it lower calorie but must’ve missed it in the directions.
Quick tip…try some lavender and honey or agave in your tea! It's Yummy! Even Rosemary and Lemon is wonderful! Be creative and wow yourself and your guests!
Yes, it should…it's just not as quick as a hot brew