Sparkling Thyme + Ginger Iced Tea
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Patrick spent his freshman year of college at a school in Seattle. He said the grey + rainy weather didn’t bode well for a guy driven by vitamin-D and outdoor activities. He made some lifelong friendships, but transferred to a university in Florida his Sophomore year, one could argue as a bold overreaction to those cool and misty days.
I had ALWAYS wanted to visit Seattle, and for our first wedding anniversary, we did just that. We stayed in a 20 ft banana-yellow shipping container some very hip Seattle couple (who worked for Amazon, of course) rented out in their backyard. We ate fresh Salmon, spent time with one of Patrick’s Best Men, Chris + his then fiancé (now wife) Kalla, visited his college campus, watched people throw fish, saw the gum wall, explored landmarks, kissed in Kerry Park in the rain, had the best frozen custard ever, and of course- COFFEE. Because, when in Rome.
What in the WORLD would a trip to the land of micro-roasters, handlebar-mustached baristas + all the hip coffee things be without daily visits to coffee shops?
I was SO excited to finally get to Stumptown Roasters, a coffee shop I had long heard amazing things about, which has since had it's products distributed into stores nationwide.
One day we visited and I surprisingly had sipped enough coffee and was intrigued by the Thyme Iced Tea they offered. It was a warm day, and the cool tea with its mild sweetness and floral hints of thyme was refreshing and just absolutely PERFECT.
When I got home I turned to Google to help me recreate this wonder, craving that tea + the sweet memories that came with it.
This is my take from a recipe I found on Food52. The thyme and tea are essentially the girl in a RomCom and her dude friend who it turns out is secretly in love with her and they FINALLY end up together at the end. The whole time you are thinking, “they should have been together all along!”. They just work. The fresh ginger adds a spicy kick (as well as oodles of health benefits for you stomach) and the sparkling water is the cherry on top that ties it all together. This light, refreshing drink is perfect for the spring + summer. It would be great served with any brunch or dinner party as a special and unique drink to mix up for any gathering.
A jar of this syrup will last for a few weeks in the fridge + keeps this girl sipping for days!
INGREDIENTS:
SYRUP:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 plain black tea bags
• Handful of fresh thyme springs
• 1 inch piece of ginger root, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
DRINK:
• Cold Sparkling Water/ Seltzer Water/ Club Soda
• Thyme + Ginger Syrup
• Ice
• Lemon, sliced into wedges
• Fresh Thyme to garnish
METHOD:
Here we are making a simple syrup as the base of our drink. This is a highly concentrated liquid that we will dilute with our sparkling water later.
SYRUP:
Start by bringing 1 cup of water to boil.
Immediately add sugar and stir to dissolve.
Boil for 30 seconds and add tea, thyme, ginger and cinnamon.
Stir gently and remove from heat.
Let the tea steep until the syrup is at room temperature.
Remove the tea and herbs and pour the syrup into a jar with airtight lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
MIXING THE TEA:
Start by adding a few cubes of ice (or crushed ice if you’re me) to your glass.
The amount of Syrup needed will vary depending on the size of your glass and how sweet you want your drink.
I start with 2 tablespoons of the Syrup + 1 cup of cold sparkling water.
If making for yourself, stir + give it a taste and see if it needs another dash of the tea. (I dont like very sweet drinks.)
Squeeze a wedge of lemon into the drink, stir + garnish with a spring of fresh thyme!
