Recipe- Raise The Flavor Level With Cherry Lemon Iced Tea

As summer winds down, raise the flavor level by pairing Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate with this naturally hydrating & thirst-quenching Cherry Lemon Iced Tea!For basic iced tea, calculate one teabag per cup of water. Use filtered or bottled cold water, to begin with. Do not steep the tea for a long time. If you steep longer, the tea will develop a bitter flavor or become too strong. Steep for 5-8 minutes and then taste every 30 seconds and stop when you have the desired flavor. Don’t add raw sugar into a chilled iced tea. Always add the sweetener while the tea is still steaming so it dissolves fully. Add ice to the tea right before serving. Now let me share with you how I make Cherry Lemon Iced Tea, which is influenced by my friend's recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 star anise cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
7-8 mint leaves
12 red cherries
2 black tea bags
2 tbsp lemon juice
ice cubes as required
additional mint leaves for garnish

Method

* First, wash the cherries well, discard the stems and chop them. Throw away the seeds.

* In a thick bottomed sauce pan bring water to boil. Then add cherries, lemon juice, mint leaves, star anise, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

* Reduce the flame and let it cook for 30 minutes. Then mash the cherries while cooking. Take it off the flame and rest it covered for one hour.

* Now is a perfect time for you to quickly enjoy a bite of Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate!

* Strain the mixture and transfer it back to a saucepan. Bring the cherry mixture to a boil over moderate heat.

* Remove the mixture from heat, add the tea bags and let it steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags and let cool to room temperature.

* Serve in chilled glasses with ice cubes. Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves for a beautiful display and enjoy.

* Pair this Cherry Lemon Iced Tea with Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate for an afternoon tea party, brunch event, or any occasion.