summer is here
Finally summer is here! It’s time to spend all of our time outside in the sun with our family and friends. Whether you retreat to your cottage every weekend or chill out on your own deck, I’ve got some flavourful and refreshing recipes coming your way. Each of these drinks contain no sugar, no calories and no caffeine! Summer Sips is the drink of summer ’19.
0 calories, 0 sugar and caffeine free?! How?
I made all three iced tea drinks with my Summer Sips blend. Summer Sips is a herbal tea, containing hibiscus petals from Egypt. Hibiscus has a naturally tart flavour profile that steeps up a gorgeous deep pink hue. Packed full of vitamin A, C and beta-carotene, this herbal tisane puts in some serious work. Because hibiscus has a strong flavour profile, it holds up well to the addition of other liquids.
I chose to add water, freshly squeezed lemon juice and sparkling water to keep these drinks super hydrating and sugar free. I encourage you to get creative. Summer Sips pairs well with coconut milk, coconut water, fruit juices or sparkling beverages. Don’t worry about overpowering Summer Sips – it always shines through!
What You'll Need
Instructions
For best results, I suggest cold brewing your Summer Sips the night before for maximum flavour
I’ll show you how to make the following iced tea drinks that all use the same base:
Summer Sips with sparkling water
Summer Sips with still water
Summer Sips with freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pack your compostable tea filter or strainer with Summer Sips. I recommend using 2 teaspoons per 500 ml of water
- Cold brew your Summer Sips overnight or for at least 3 hours. If you don’t have filters or a strainer, you can strain the hibiscus petals with a strainer. This may result in some petals leftover but it’ll do in a pinch
- Strain your Summer Sips into a pitcher with ice and pour into glasses halfway
- Gather your lemons and wash them. Cut one lemon into garnishes. Skip to #5/#6 for other variations. Squeeze 3-4 lemons into a pitcher and top with 500mL of water. Be sure to strain out the seeds. Top glasses with half of the Summer Sips base with the freshly squeezed lemon water
- Top glasses with half of the Summer Sips base with cold filtered still water. Skip to #6 for sparkling variation.
- Top glasses with half of the Summer Sips base with sparkling water
- Serve all variations with a lemon garnish and serve over ice
summer sips
There you have it! One iced tea drink, served three different ways. Each variation is hydrating and refreshing, and best served over ice. I would love to hear your thoughts on Summer Sips! But if you haven’t tried it, let me know your summer plans – it’d make my day!
Cheers, Erica
I love the summer sips with sparkling water and sliced lemon. I would also love it with a mint sprig
Nice article! Only thing I don’t get is why it’s called summer ‘sips’ cause I’m gonna be slurping up this one!