Beat the summer heat with a cold glass of this Watermelon Mint Iced Tea!
“Would you like sweetened or unsweetened?” Huh? Oh yeah, there is such a thing as unsweetened tea. I grew up in the deep South. Charleston, SC. Raleigh, NC. (Ok, Raleigh isn’t deep south…but it’s still very southern.) Baton Rouge, LA. Tea just comes sweetened in these places. You don’t have to ask. (In fact, you have to ask for unsweetened tea.) But up here in the Northeast, tea comes unsweetened. And more often than not, sweet tea isn’t even an option. You have to grab a sugar packet and make your own. I don’t mind at all, but it’s strange little things like this that make me miss the South!
Growing up, we always had a pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge. I swear my poor mother had to make a pitcher every other day with the rate that we drank it, too. Sweet tea is one of those funny things. There’s all sorts of levels of sweetness. I prefer mine with just a hint of sugar. However, I remember my mother would double the amount of sugar in the tea when my brother-in-law would come visit. There was a pitcher labeled “Tea” and another one labeled “Sweet Tea.” Of course, it was the South, so the “Tea” pitcher was still sweet. But the “Sweet Tea” pitcher? I think a spoon could probably have stood straight up in a glass of that tea with how sweet it was!
My mom always added a few sprigs of fresh mint whenever she made tea. In fact, I’ve become so accustomed to mint in my tea that I’ve grown mint in every place that I’ve ever lived. From my apartments after college to my apartments in Baton Rouge and Atlanta. The first thing I would do is find the nearest rain-spout and plant some mint right underneath. (Mint loves hot weather and lots of water…so it grows great under a rain-spout.)
As you gardeners out there know, mint is actually incredibly easy to grow. But if you’ve ever grown mint, then you probably also know how invasive it is. It’s practically a weed with the way it’ll take over a garden! In our yard here, I dug out a little section and lined it with a border of bricks below the ground level. That kinda helps, but I still have to keep an eye out as the mint has been escaping it’s ‘cage’ lately. I’ve also heard of burying a big clay pot in the ground and then planting the mint in that. Just a tip to keep in mind in case you decide to plant some mint! (Now that I think about it, the apartments where I’ve lived are probably overtaken by mint at this point. Oh well, at least the new residents can make plenty of mint sweet tea, right?)
Watermelon Mint Iced Tea
Watermelon Mint Iced TeaA hot summer day just calls for an ice-cold glass of mint sweet tea. A hot summer day also calls for watermelon. So I decided to get creative and mix these two together to create this Watermelon Mint Iced Tea. It’s a unique and tasty drink to serve on those afternoons when you swear you could fry an egg on the driveway!
I fully recognize that many of you don’t live in the South and probably don’t have an affinity for sweet tea like I do. That’s perfectly fine by me! Just omit the sugar in this recipe. The watermelon already brings a bit of sweetness on it’s own. (Or if you’re like my brother-in-law, feel free to multiple the amount of sugar in this recipe by 20.)
Did you make a batch of this Watermelon Mint Iced Tea at home? Leave a comment! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Looking for other refreshing summer recipes? Check out these favorites:
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Shaved Watermelon
Watermelon Daiquiris
Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake
Watermelon Mint Sweet Tea
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 8 small tea bags any variety of black tea
- 4-5 springs of fresh mint rinsed (~¼ cup, loosely packed)
- 1/4 cup sugar see note
- 5 cups watermelon chopped
Instructions
- Place the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Remove pan from heat and add tea bags and mint; let steep for 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, puree the watermelon in a blender or food processor.
- Pour the watermelon through a fine mesh strainer, pressing the pulp to draw out as much liquid as possible. Discard pulp.
- Remove and discard the tea bags and mint.
- Stir sugar and watermelon juice into the tea.
- Chill or serve over ice. Garnish with fresh mint and sliced watermelon.
Notes
Haha I just can’t drink unsweetened tea… but THIS tea is right up my alley! Seriously could there be anything more summer-y and refreshing!?
I agree, Sam! I don’t even understand what unsweetened tea is! Add a little sugar and mint, and I’m all set. But this watermelon addition was a lot of fun for the summer!
David – this is genius! You took my favorite summery coolant – watermelon – and mixed it with my daughter’s all time favorite drink! Lil Shashi loves sweet iced tea, (so much so that she says she’s gonna have a keg of it in her room when she goes to college) – but, I’ve never ever thought to make iced tea quite like this!
I have a coworker who loves super sweet iced tea – it’s so sweet it almost has the consistency of cooling simple syrup! GAH!
Hahaha…a keg of sweet tea! Now you’re talking! But hey, I guess that’s better than a keg of something else given that she’ll soon be a freshman in college. You can sneak her batches of watermelon sweet tea when no one is looking! And yes…that simple syrup analogy is perfect. I don’t know how people drink that stuff with like 4 cups of sugar in it. Blech!
You’re killing me, David. You’ve got another awesome and refreshing idea! Watermelon and mint – what other combo could be better for a sweltering summer day, eh? But I know you, and I believe you’ve got a plenty ideas which will beat this one! Maybe you will even add lavender ha-ha! By the way, I’ve tried that maple lemonade, and it was really good. I even didn’t bother making a large jar – just mix everything in a glass. And then repeat. 5 or 7 times. Legit!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that maple lemonade, Ben! The sparkling side of it added a nice little twist on that one. Hmmm…can you make sparkling iced tea? Eh, I don’t think that’s the best idea I’ve ever had. Let’s just stick with watermelon and mint. No lavender for me…haha!
Talking about a fresh drink for the summer! The combination of watermelon and mint works very well in cocktails. I never had it with tea. Intriguing!
I can picture your poor mother making tea all day. Bless.
I do like mine sweetened too, but not too much. In the Chinese restaurants here they serve unsweetened, with a splash of milk. It is a bit odd, but it has something addictive after a while.
Yeah, my wife enjoys the Chinese version of tea with the sweetened milk or whatever…but I’m more of a classic kind of guy myself. Not sure if mint in sweet tea is totally classic, but that’s my favorite! The watermelon was a fun way to mix it up a bit for a hot summer day, though.
I’m like yourself, just a hint of sweetness is all I need in my tea.
Super sweet tea is like drinking syrup or chewing sugar cubes dunked in tea. Blah…
Btw I so dig this mint-watermelon tea. I’m thinking if the watermelon is sweet enough there’s no need for an additional sweetener. Imma right?
#WolfpackSwetness
You are tots mcgoats right, Mike! Ok, I just saw that commercial with James Earl Jones saying “tots mcgoats” and I kinda wanted to work it into a conversation today. But yes, if you get one of those perfect mid-summer watermelons then you could totally go with no additional sugar here. It’s a nice way to mix it up for a hot afternoon! (Which it is totally NOT hot right now…but whatever, I can still pretend. Haha!)
This looks so incredibly refreshing, but I really think this is missing some rum. Rum would just be perfection 😉
Hahaha…you are totally right, Dannii! Rum would be a nice addition to this one. Rum is a nice addition to everything, right? 🙂
this looks so refreshing! It’s getting really hot here so this ice tea would be just perfect!
If I recall, you’re out there on the West coast, right, Manali? I saw Al Roker on the news this morning saying you guys are supposed to break 100°F this weekend. Crazy!! Meanwhile, here in upstate NY, it’s unseasonably cool…I think we’re not even going to top 70°F on Saturday. But whatevers, I can still pretend it’s hot and enjoy my summer sweet tea! 🙂
Sounds delicious and so refreshing 😀
Shame on me for living in Charlotte and drinking unsweet tea! I just can’t take that sweet stuff. Now this watermelon mint business sounds fantastic! That I’m sure would be refreshing and delicious. Thanks for the great tip for planting mint under the rain spout! I’m totally doing that!
Hold up! Charlotte and unsweetened tea? Is there even such a thing? Haha! I agree though…some of the sweet tea is so sweet that I can barely even sip it! Now go plant some mint…and watch it take over your entire yard. Mint tea for the whole neighborhood…coming right up! 🙂
Ohhhhhhh mate. Literally just what I need right now- A sandwich, catching up on blogs and….a damn bottle of water. I actually didn’t know drinking iced tea was such a big deal until I came here- It is SO popular and my first drink was definitely ‘sweet’- Too sweet perhaps (it was from McDonalds lol). This looks refreshing though and with watermelon too!
Yeah, that sweet tea from the fast food places is just way too sweet usually. Make it for yourself at home! We’ve almost always got a container of sweet tea (my version of sweet) in the fridge at all times during the summer!