Picnics and backyard parties call for a large pitcher of sweet iced tea.

How to Make Traditional Iced Tea

The perfect backyard drink is simple. Grab a pitcher and start playing around.

Steep. Brew your tea as you normally would with hot water; just keep in mind that when drinks are cold they are harder to taste. The ideal ratio is 2 tea bags to every 3 cups of water, or 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of loose tea per cup of water. To boost the flavour, use more tea bags (or more loose leaf tea) rather than increasing steeping time — over-steeping brings out the tannins in tea that make it bitter.
Tip: To extract the best flavour, tea leaves need room to bloom, which is why loose tea is best. If bags are your choice, look for ones with enough of space for the tea leaves to expand when being steeped.
Cool. Make the tea well in advance of serving to ensure there’s enough time to cool it in the refrigerator. For clear tea, let it come to room temperature before chilling or it will turn cloudy. Don’t depend on ice to cool the tea; this will only dilute the flavour.
Sweeten and flavour. If you’re using sugar or other sweeteners (like stevia), remember to add these to hot tea so the granules dissolve. Chilled tea can be sweetened with flavoured honeys, herb- or spice-infused simple syrups or even fruits.
Serve. Add ice (sparingly), garnish and enjoy. Like leftover coffee, you can freeze any extra tea and use the ice cubes to keep a fresh batch of iced tea chilled without worrying about it getting too diluted.

Mix It Up

Make it your own with these variations.

Switch the tea. Whether you opt to use bags or artisanal loose leaf, you can make a different kind of iced tea each time by swapping the variety of tea. Switch traditional English breakfast or Earl Grey for chai-spiced, green, oolong or white herbal teas — there is a rainbow of variations to experiment with.
Infuse flavour. Create your own unique sweetener by making a simple syrup infused with ginger, rose, lavender or vanilla. Warming spices like cloves, star anise and cinnamon add great depth of flavour.
Steep tea with spices and herbs. Fresh basil, rosemary, thyme or mint pull double duty as a garnish and flavour booster. Also try cloves, cinnamon or cardamom. Play around with tea types and flavours (make use of whatever you have in your spice rack). Try mint in green teas, cinnamon in black teas and basil in white teas.
Add fruit nectar. Puréed apricots, peaches or mangos make excellent summer additions, adding their ripe sweetness and bright colour.
Make it a cocktail. Add some alcohol for a grownup twist. A splash of tequila, rum, vodka or whisky can work wonders when matched correctly. Pair clear spirits with lighter teas like green, white and herbal tisanes. Bolder, darker drinks work well with black or rooibos teas.