On the lookout for something zestier than plain iced tea to quench your thirst on a 90 to 100 degree day, Sip and Savor 'Drinks for Party and Porch' (Gibbs-Smith, April 2012) by James T.Farmer offers many non-alcoholic libations including my selection, today.
Honeydew Green Tea
“Honey, do you care for a drink?”
“Honey, I surely do!”
This will be the conversation between you and your honey, for the delicate flavors of honeydew
melon and green tea meld together for a refreshment so visually enchanting that the taste is nothing
short of magical. Combining elegant airs of fresh melon, crisp notes of tea, and a bit of herbal
sensation sweetness, this beverage is a treat on the hottest of summer days and the perfect way to relax and unwind from the heat of the day. With its health benefits aside, green tea might also be a wonder drink for our waistlines! Serve some of the blended honeydew melon in the hollowed rind.
Gather some of your garden’s freshest mint, thyme or basil for herbal flair, find a perfectly ripe
honeydew melon, and then brew and blend a treat for you and your honey!
Serves 6–8
2 cups water
1 baker’s dozen fresh herb leaves (mint,
mild basil, thyme, or your choice)
4 bags green tea
1⁄3 cup Simple Syrup (Basic or Herbal; see pages 5 and 6) or honey
1 small to medium honeydew melon
1 and 1⁄ 2 cups ice cubes
Bring water to a boil. Add about a dozen or so mint leaves and tea bags to the boiling water. Allow to steep for 3–4 minutes then discard the tea bags and herb leaves. Sweeten the tea with simple syrup or honey. Chill tea before serving.
Scrape out the inside of the melon and add to a blender with the ice. Spoon the slushy melon puree into ice-cold green tea and garnish with herbs.
(* Recipe from 'Sip and Savor, Drinks for Party and Porch', Text © 2012 by James T. Farmer III, Photographs © 2012 by James T. Farmer III and Maggie Yelton except pages 9 and 60 from Shutterstock, reproduced with permission of the publisher)