To maintain our health , it’s important for all of us to consume lots of liquids when the weather heats up. Yes, summer time means lots of ice cold drinks. I’m not much of a fan of soda pop. I prefer iced black tea, iced green tea and iced coffee. But here in the states, many of the bottled and canned teas and coffees are way too sweet for me. In fact, in Asia, iced green tea is never sweetened, so I find the sweetened versions peculiar. I guess it’s just what you’re used to. So, because of this, I always end up making my own iced drinks.
Nowadays, I don’t make a pitcher of tea because everyone in our family seems to be drinking their own thing. This means I end up making just a single cup of either hot coffee or tea and dump it over ice, just like they do it at Starbucks. When you do this, make sure your glass can take the temperature change, otherwise it’ll crack. I know this from experience….
I like a little sweetener with my iced coffee or black tea. Unfortunately, adding sugar granules just doesn’t work because they don’t dissolve. Instead I add sugar syrup. This dissolves beautifully and furthermore, I have control of the sweetness. This recipe will make enough for a small jar that can be stored in the refrigerator. Adding a label with masking tape will help identify the bottle and removing the tape is easy when you need to wash up. When I have a friend over, serving the sugar in a creamer makes pouring easy and it looks cute too! Why not make your own iced drinks today?
- one cup water
- one cup sugar
- In pot add water and sugar, heat until sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Pour in jar and refrigerate.
Photo: Pixabay
Something like this is a great idea for weaning folks off of soda, they could gradually reduce the amount of sugar. Simple syrup is, well, simple to make. I don’t like overly sweetened iced tea either, prefer it less sweet with a little lemon.
You’re point Mary, it may make the transition easier.
Sugar syrup is really good for cold drinks, because this is being diluted with water. I am using this when preparing a tapioca-gelatin juice..
Good idea!