It is hard to imagine... most people buy tea already made from the store these days rather than make it at home. I confess, I do buy tea already made when I'm on the road or when I'm in a hurry or I simply need a ton of it. But iced tea is so good when it is freshly made and poured over the ice when it is still barely warm. It is one of the cheapest and most versatile beverages you can make for a party and also one of the most refreshing! For those of you who have never tried to make iced tea yourself, here's the how-to. You may never buy a gallon of tea at the store again.

HOW TO MAKE ICED TEA

For a quart of tea you need a 1-quart tea bag and 4 cups cold water. Put the water in a pot or large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Drop in the tea bag. Let steep for 7 minutes. Discard the tea bag and let the tea cool completely.

To serve: Pour over ice. Add sugar, simple syrup, lemon, or mint, to taste. Ahhhh.

MAKE YOUR OWN SIMPLE SYRUP

I prefer using simple syrup to sweeten my iced tea and that way guests can adjust the sweetness to their own taste. Making simple syrup could not be easier. It is equal parts sugar to water.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Put the sugar into a pot with cold water. Stir to help dissolve. Over medium-high heat, bring just to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. Allow to cool completely. Pour into Mason jar. It will keep in the fridge for at least 2-3 weeks.