My Big Fat Greek Iced Tea

Total Time: 33 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 3 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 12 bigelow brand pomegranate pizzazz herbal tea bags
• 6 spearmint herbal tea bags
• 3 stash brand licorice spice herbal tea bags
• 8 stalks fresh spearmint
• 4 lemons, kneaded, halved and juiced (saving 4 halves)
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup premium honey (2/3 cup for sweet tea)
• 1/4 cup grenadine (1/3 cup for sweet tea)

Recipe

• 1 pour 2 quarts filtered water into a large stainless steel pot.
• 2 remove the leaves from 8 stalks of fresh spearmint; add spearmint leaves to pot; add 8 cinnamon sticks; set heat to high.
• 3 add 12 pomegranate pizzazz tea bags, 6 spearmint tea bags, 3 licorice spice tea bags.
• 4 bring mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat to low; simmer 3-5 minutes; remove tea from heat.
• 5 wash lemons well and cut in half; squeeze juice from lemons, reserving 4 lemon halves; set aside lemon juice or chill.
• 6 add the 4 reserved lemon halves and 1/2 cup premium honey to hot tea brew; allow mixture to steep and cool down.
• 7 strain tea when cooled through mesh strainer into a pitcher (save and set aside cinnamon sticks for garnish); add the fresh lemon juice and the grenadine to tea; stir well (tea may be diluted with cold filtered water if you desire a subtler tasting tea).
• 8 pour tea into tall glasses filled with ice. place 1 lemon slice on rim of each glass; add 1 stick cinnamon and 1 sprig fresh mint to tea to garnish.
• 9 as a cocktail: add desired amount of ouzo liqueur to iced shaker or glass; fill with tea; shake or stir; garnish.
• 10 serve and enjoy!