Be a Tea-tender

Tea time connotes stuffy afternoon gatherings with finger sandwiches and crumpets, but tea time can be as fun as happy hour with some creative blends and presentations. These are wonderful for kids, baby showers, or any other time when "unleaded" beverages are preferred. 

These two  mocktails are caffeine free, too, so they are great for any time of day. 

Moji-tea

To make this beverage just get a large pitcher and fill with ice and lime slices. Brew a large amount of peppermint tea (or green and peppermint if not avoiding caffeine) and simply pour over the ice and limes. Remember to use about 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water. Sweeten with either stevia or agave nectar to avoid a sugar buzz, and serve on a warm day in fun glasses. This is extremely refreshing and goes well if serving seafood or grilled veggies. 

Hibiscus Sangria Sun Tea

This bold red-colored tea has all the flavor of it's alcoholic cousin, but won't lead to any crazy behavior. The ratio for mixing the ingredients is for every 2 cups of water to have 1 tbsp of hibiscus, 1 tsp of rose hips, 1 tsp of lemongrass and 1 tsp of orange peel. A small chunk of cinnamon bark  can also add a nice spice, but isn't necessary. Place a large tea ball or filter with all the loose tea needed to a large pitcher and add sliced fruit. Any stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc) work well, as well as oranges, blood oranges, blackberries, strawberries, etc. A good idea is to buy frozen fruit for this -already cleaned and precut - and often a great value. Fill the pitcher with water and sit in the sun for a few hours until the tea has brewed and the fruit has marinaded in the flavorful brew. Remove the tea filter and serve in pretty glasses. Sweeten to taste with agave nectar or stevia. 

 Enjoy your new tea-tini recipes!