Fruit of the Season

You go to the grocery or the corner produce stand these days and there are peaches, peaches, peaches.  For that reason, this Peach Tea recipe seemed to jump to the top of the stack.  It takes some planning ahead as the tea blend needs to chill awhile before adding the remaining ingredients but the result is a quite refreshing drink for these dog days of summer.  This is a slight variation of a fairly recent Southern Living recipe.  First make a simple syrup ...

2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Combine in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear.  Cool to room temperature, which takes about 30 minutes.

Peach Tea
Makes - 1 gallon (plus about 3 glasses full)

3 family-size tea bags

33 ounces peach nectar

12 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup simple sugar syrup

1 liter club soda, chilled

1 liter gingerale, chilled

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add tea bags and boil for one minute.  Remove from heat, cover and steep for 10 minutes.  Discard tea bags and pour into a one gallon container.  Add peach nectar, lemonade and sugar syrup.  Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.  Combine tea mixture with chilled club soda and gingerale just before serving.  Garnish with fresh peach slices.

I found this concoction to be more than one gallon and so used a second pitcher, pouring back and forth, to thoroughly blend.  In order to store in the one gallon pitcher however, someone had to volunteer to drink the extra three glasses.

I know, it's a tough job.