Iced tea, lemonade define the season

On a hot summer day, you're not likely to find Diane Davenport far from a tall glass of iced tea.

"It's a refreshing, crisp drink," says Davenport, referred to most often as Lady Dee.

"Down South, that's what we drink. Growing up, my parents didn't let me drink pop," says Da'venport, a Savanah, Ga., native and the chef behind the soon-to-open Mint Julep, a Southern-tinged bistro in downtown Palatine.

Typical Southern tea is a rather light mixture sweetened with a sugar syrup.

Davenport selects orange pekoe tea for her sweet tea, adding 1 cup of sugar syrup for a gallon batch.

Ceylon is the choice of Robert J. Heiss, co-author of "The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide" (2007 Ten Speed Press, $32.50).

"If one is making 'sweet tea,' then the goal is to have a beverage that is flavorful and brisk and will stand up to the dilution of both the ice and the sweetener. ... This would call for a bright and flavorful Ceylon from the growing areas of Dimbula or Nuwara Eliya, or perhaps an Assam CTC, with its malty, rich flavor profile," Heiss says. "Sweet tea tends to be medium amber in color, so the soluble solid aspect of the steeped tea is not of concern, but the flavor must be substantial enough to hold its own against the sweetening."

Many varieties, whether black, green, white or red (rooibos) or herbal, can be used to create iced tea, Davenport says.

"I make herbal teas a lot," she says. "Spearmint iced tea is really nice."

Or, combine your favorite iced tea with your favorite fruit juice for a refreshing quaff.

"I like fruit teas. It's nice to throw some pomegranate juice in tea," she says.

Tea often gets served with a wedge of lemon. Heiss adds that if you add lemon while the tea is still hot, it will often help retain the tea's freshly steeped clarity.

"But my best advice is to learn to appreciate a glass of iced tea that has good color to it, the way an amber ale does," he says.

Iced tea isn't the only beverage on summer tables. Lemonade has wide appeal as well.

Fred Thompson, author of the 2002 cookbook "Lemonade," calls lemonade "comfort food in a glass."

"It's as nostalgic as Mom's meatloaf," he says. "We all have some memories of it as a child. ... It's sort of this sense of generations that, quite frankly, we don't have a lot of these days."

The taste of lemonade is satisfying because it combines sweet and sour flavors, he says.

"If made appropriately, it's sort of an exciting thing to have in your mouth," Thompson says.

Appropriately is the key word. There is no circumstance under which powdered lemonade mix is acceptable, other than to add a bit of flavor to iced tea, Thompson says.

"To me, lemonade is about fresh. It's about bold," he says. "It's like using fresh herbs at the last minute in a savory dish."

Along those lines, Thompson also steers clear of bottled, reconstituted lemon juice.

In a pinch, store-bought lemonade can be transformed into a reasonably good beverage by adding the juice of a few fresh lemons and their rinds and refrigerating the mixture overnight, he says.

Some of Thompson's recipes also include frozen lemonade concentrate mixed with fresh ingredients. But for truly tasty lemonade, fresh lemon juice and zest are critical, he says, and you don't need a fancy juicer.

"I still like old-fashioned, simple reamers," he says. "They're as effective as anything else, easy to store and they don't cost a lot of money."

Thompson also suggests sweetening lemonade with superfine sugar, because it dissolves more quickly than conventional granulated sugar. A simple syrup (made by boiling water and sugar) also is good.

Honey Mint Iced Tea

4 cups boiling water

cup fresh mint leaves

2 tea bags green or black

¼ cup honey

In large heat-proof pitcher, pour boiling water over mint and tea bags. Whisk in honey. Let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags; cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, pour over ice.

Serves four.

National Honey Board

Strawberry Red Iced Green Tea

1 can (10 ounces) frozen strawberry daiquiri mix (nonalcoholic)

Water

2 cups chilled green tea

2 tablespoons black currant, strawberry or raspberry syrup

Ice cubes

Strawberries and sugar for garnish

Put the daiquiri mix into a medium pitcher; fill can with water, add to pitcher and stir until thawed and blended. Add the chilled green tea and fruit syrup and mix thoroughly. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice.

Make a garnish for each glass by sliding three strawberries onto a skewer and rolling the fruit in sugar. Serve immediately.

Serves two to four.

"Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats" by Mary Lou Heiss (2006 Harvard Common press, $12.95)

Southern Sweet Tea

Simple syrup

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

Tea

About 15 cups water, divided

8-10 regular-sized or 3 "family-sized" bags orange pekoe tea

For the simple syrup: Pour 2 cups water and 4 cups sugar into a saucepan and stir together. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and stir until thickened. Turn off heat, and set aside.

For the tea: Strip tags from the tea bags, and tie strings to the handle of a wooden spoon, near the spoon's scoop. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, and place the tea-tied wooden spoon in the pan. Once it's suitably darkened, and still hot, pull out the spoon. (Refrain from squeezing the tea bags, as that clouds the tea.)

Stir 1 cup simple syrup into the tea until it's thoroughly blended (taste for sweetness desired). Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass or metal pitcher, and fill to the top with cool water. Stir, and chill in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining simple syrup into a glass jar, and cover and save for the next batch.

Fill a tall glass two-third with ice. Pour cooled tea into glasses; serve with lemon slice if desired.

Serves 16.

Chef Diane "Lady Dee" Davenport, Mint Julep, Palatine

Fresh Lime and White Grape Iced Tea

2 cups chilled green tea

2 cups chilled white grape juice

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Sugar to taste, optional

Ice cubes

Small lime wedges or green grapes for garnish

Put the tea and juices into a medium pitcher and stir well. Taste and add sugar if desired.

Pour mixture into tall glasses filled with ice.

Serves two to four.

"Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats" by Mary Lou Heiss (2006 Harvard Common press, $12.95)

Vanilla Bean Lemonade

1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

6 cups cold water

1/3 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract, to taste

2 large lemons, quartered and seeded

In a 3-quart pitcher, combine the lemonade concentrate, water, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

If you are using vanilla beans, split the beans lengthwise down the middle and scrape out the seeds into the lemonade mixture. Discard the beans. Stir until the seeds have separated. Alternatively, add vanilla extract to taste.

Let the lemonade steep for at least 10 minutes.

Strain the lemonade, if desired, through a fine-mess strainer to remove any vanilla bean residue. Squeeze each lemon wedge into the pitcher, then add the rinds.

Chill until very cold and serve in tall glasses over ice.

Makes two quarts.

"Lemonade" by Fred Thompson (2002 Harvard Common Press, $12.95)

Watermelon Lemondade

1 pounds sliced seedless watermelon, rind removed

Zest of 1 lemon

¾cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

cup honey

1 cups cold water

1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish

In a food processor, purÃÆ'Æ'ˆ©e the watermelon until very smooth.

Set a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the pureed watermelon through it. Stir the pulp to let as much liquid as possible drain into the bowl. Discard the pulp.

Pour the watermelon juice into a large pitcher and add the lemon zest. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey until honey dissolves. Stir this mixture into the watermelon juice, then stir in the water.

Cover and refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

Serves four.

Rozanne Gold in "The Oprah Magazine Cookbook" (2008 Hyperion, $29.95)

Lemonade Float

2 tablespoons powdered lemonade mix

Ice (optional)

1¼cups seltzer water

1/3- cup lemon sherbet

Lemon wedges, for garnish

In a tall glass, place the lemonade mix and ice (if using). Add the seltzer water and stir until the powder is dissolved. Float a large, rounded scoop on top of the lemonade. Serve with a straw and lemon wedges.

Serves one.

Associated Press

Sparking Ginger Lemonade

2 cups water

1 cup honey

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 cups club soda, cold

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey and ginger. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the mixture into it, discarding the ginger. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and cool completely.

Stir in the soda and lemon juice. Serve over ice.

Serves five.

Taste of Home, April/May 2008

Old-fashioned Lemondade

Sugar syrup

Grated zest of 2 lemons

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Lemonade

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12 lemons), with half of the rinds reserved and roughly chopped

3 cups cold water

For the sugar syrup: In a medium saucepan combine the zest, sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Transfer the syrup to a 2-quart pitcher. Let cool.

To finish the lemonade: To the pitcher add the lemon juice, chopped lemon rinds and cold water. Stir well to combine. Chill until very cold. Serve over ice.

Makes one quart.

"Lemonade" by Fred Thompson (2002 Harvard Common Press)