Sweet Basil Iced Tea

Giada De Laurentiis makes a wonderful basil simple syrup for her perfect Italian lemonade. 

When making it one time, I thought it would be great to add to iced tea! 

The following is my take on sweet basil iced tea.

Ingredients:
*makes 1 gallon container of iced tea

• 1 bunch fresh basil, washed & stemmed (roughly 10-15 leaves)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 family size tea bags
• 1 gallon size pitcher/container

Directions:

1. In a saucepan combine basil, sugar, and water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved,
stirring with a wooden spoon. This will take about 5 minutes.

2. Cool & strain the simple syrup into the pitcher.

3. In the mean time, pour 12 cups of water in a container w/the tea bags and bring to a boil.
TIP: You can use less water, but the more water, 
the stronger tea you'll get for your end product.
Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour the tea into the pitcher with the simple syrup and fill the remainder of the pitcher
with water (or ice if you want to serve in the near future.)

5. Stir to combine all liquids and place pitcher in the fridge to cool before serving.

TIP: If you like a little spice in your tea, feel free to add a cinnamon stick &/or 
a couple cloves to your tea while it simmers. It will give off a wonderful aroma & taste.

Bon Appetit!