Do Ahead Summer Drinks for a Crowd

In the good old Summertime there are two staples that need to be in the Sweetwater refrigerator at all times:

UNsweetened Sun Tea and Lemonade.

 Around here....it is "not okay" to run out of either!
Over the years, I have learned a couple of tricks to make sure that never happens.
These tricks really come in handy when we have informal gatherings.

It is always so hard to plan how much tea and lemonade you will need....
I hate making gigantic containers of beverages that take up space in the refrigerator and might not get used.

So.......I keep some "concentrate" of these drinks ready to mix quickly when the pitcher is empty.
These concentrates are almost "instant" with out the "instant" taste.

STRONG TEA CONCENTRATE 

16 teabags
1 quart hot water

Let this sit for a couple of hours.
Give the tea bags a stir and squish them against the side of the bowl every once in a while.

(don't you love my technical recipe directions)

Discard the tea bags...again wring out all that strong tea goodness....

 


 Store the concentrate in the refrigerator.

This container will make at least 2 gallons of tea.

Just fill your pitcher 3/4 full of very cold water and pour in the concentrate to fill it up.


This recipe makes tea that is not cloudy.  It mimics sun tea that way.

When I have tried boiling this on the stove....the result is cloudy tea.

I imagine there is science in there somewhere....hmmmm!

Quick and Easy "Homemade" Lemonade

Lemonade

1 part Simple Syrup

*1 part RealLemon Juice

4 parts Water

Lemon slices for garnish

Mix it up and enjoy!

Simple syrup recipe

1 part sugar

1 part water

Bring to a rolling boil.

Cool and store in refrigerator for several weeks.

 1 quart of this makes a lot of lemonade!  (it is the base for Hummingbird food too!)

*oh.....don't try to be thrifty with your lemon juice!  I bought some at the dollar store and discovered that the taste was totally strange....who knew!  I go with RealLemon....

How to Make An Arnold Palmer

Source

 Legend has it that the late great famous golfer just started making these at home and started taking them on the course when he played.

He would often ask a bartender to mix ice tea and lemonade.....and when someone overheard him...they asked for "that Palmer Drink".  

Arnold was always embarrassed to ask for the drink by name.  He quipped that it sounded stupid to ask for a "ME"!

Anyway......the recipe for an Arnold Palmer is pretty simple....

1 part iced tea

1 part lemonade

Ice!

 Obviously....these recipes aren't new or earth shattering.

The tip/trick is to make the concentrate ahead of time.

Then you have the fixings for large quantities of great tasting and refreshing beverages without the hassle of big containers.

I would love to hear all about your favorite summer beverages....and your tricks for serving them.

Have a Great Day!