I’ve had the house to myself this week, which has meant catching up on overdue lunches with friends, eating more salads than is probably sensible, and watching TV I already enjoy—only now I don’t have to share the couch.
Although it’s a little cooler outside my apartment, inside it feels like a furnace. Installing the air-conditioning unit requires two people, so my preferred method of keeping cool has reverted to an old-fashioned fix: cocktails.
Half-and-halfs—Arnold Palmers—iced tea and lemonade under any name are among summer’s best comforts. Add gin, and they become even more delightful.
My love of iced tea goes back to childhood. In August, when it was warm enough, we made sun tea in the afternoons. My dad would fill a large glass pitcher with water and I got to add the tea bags. I couldn’t carry the full pitcher out to the deck—the weight was too much—so I would sit in the sun and watch the dark streaks slowly color the water. Waiting for it to be ready to pour over ice was an exercise in patience.
And if you think watching paint dry is dull, try watching sun tea steep.
I suppose my impatience emerged early.
So I make black tea simple syrup now. I don’t have a deck, and I doubt my downstairs neighbors would appreciate me balancing pitchers of sun tea on a fire escape, so syrup gives me the same flavor without the wait or the risk.
Black tea syrup captures the essence of iced tea with sweetness already built in—ideal for stirring into a summer cocktail.
You can skip the gin if you prefer, but this drink takes a splash of spirit well. Be cautious: the alcohol blends in easily, so it’s easy to underestimate how boozy it is. You probably don’t want a quiet afternoon picnic to turn into a party by accident.
Or maybe you do—no judgment here.
Sparkling Black Tea Lemonade Cocktail
Makes one cocktail
1–2 spoonfuls black tea cocktail syrup (recipe below)
1 lemon
1 ounce gin
3–4 ice cubes
soda water
Cut the lemon in half, slice off one round to use as a garnish, and squeeze the juice from both halves into the bottom of a tall glass. Add a spoonful or two of black tea cocktail syrup, tip in the gin, then add ice cubes. Top off with soda water and stir well. Garnish with the lemon slice and a straw.
Black Tea Cocktail Syrup
Makes about one cup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
5 black tea bags
Combine the brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add the tea bags, and cover. Let the mixture steep for an hour or two, then remove and discard the tea bags. Transfer the syrup to a glass container and refrigerate until ready to use.