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Refreshing Raspberry Sweet Tea Recipe

Refreshing Raspberry Sweet Tea Recipe

A Southern-style iced black tea sweetened with homemade raspberry syrup. This colorful, fruity drink serves about 8 to 10 people and can be adjusted from lightly sweet to traditionally sweet.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Raspberry Syrup
  • 2 cups Fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup Water
Tea
  • 4 tea bags Regular black tea bags, such as Lipton or Luzianne
  • 8 cups, divided Water
  • 1/2 to 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon, optional Fresh lemon juice
Serving
  • As needed Ice
  • As desired Lemon slices, fresh raspberries, or mint

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Combine the raspberries, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring and lightly crushing the berries.
  2. Pour the raspberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl or measuring cup. Press on the berries to extract the liquid, then discard the seeds and pulp or reserve a little for a rustic-style drink.
  3. Bring 4 cups of water just to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, add the 4 black tea bags, and steep for about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the tea bags without squeezing them. Stir the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup sugar into the hot tea until dissolved, then add the raspberry syrup and optional lemon juice.
  5. Stir in the remaining 4 cups cold water. Refrigerate the tea for 1 to 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.
  6. Serve the raspberry sweet tea over ice. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh raspberries, or mint.

Notes

Use 1/2 cup sugar in the tea for a brighter, less-sweet drink or closer to 1 cup for a traditional Southern sweet tea flavor. Do not boil the tea bags, and do not squeeze them after steeping because that can make the tea bitter. Frozen raspberries work especially well and usually give the tea strong color and flavor.