Drinks on the Patio

Hi There, Beautiful!  Summer Time is in full swing, so I thought it would be fun for us to adjourn to our kitchens and mix up some of my personal hot weather drinks:

Old Fashioned Lemonade

Enough Organic Lemons (I use regular and Meyer Lemons) to make anywhere from one to three cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice - depending on the size of your pitcher or dispenser
Sugar to taste
A cup or so of HOT water (to dissolve sugar in BEFORE adding to lemonade)
Cold Water to fill container
Plenty of clear Ice
Lemon Balm and Mint and Pesticide free Lavender Blossoms

Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a measuring cup.  Boil 1 cup of hot water and add sugar to taste to the pan.  Remove from heat.  Fill pitcher or dispenser with cold water leaving room for ice to be added.  Pour in lemon juice and sugar water, add herbs to taste and stir to mix well. Add Ice to container. Serve in tall Collins glass filled with ice and garnish with a leaf of Lemon Balm and a leaf of Mint.  Enjoy!

Jezebel Iced Tea

Queen of Babylon tea leaves (Teavana)
Sugar to taste
Ice

Boil enough water in a large pan to fill your container leaving room for ice.  Measure our enough tea leaves to make a strong brew.  Remove water from heat, add tea leaves and steep for 5 to 10 minutes.  Add sugar to taste and then allow to cool to room temp before adding it to your pitcher or dispenser.   Do not add ice cubes to the tea.  Instead place a few in a tall glass and then pour the tea over it.  This keeps the tea from getting watered down. 

Now it's time to kick off your shoes and join me on the patio or any of your favorite outdoor spaces for a nice cool drink!

Cheers,
Karen