It’s the start of iced tea season chez Diana. The past few days have been so muggy that in the afternoon I’ve been dying to take a nap instead of sitting at my computer editing photos or sending invoices to clients. Which is where the need for icy caffeinated drinks comes in.

During the summer I usually keep a liter of iced tea in the fridge. If I’m feeling lazy on tea-making day, I just steep and chill some black tea. If I need to satisfy my sweet tooth, I whip up some bracing Southern-style sweet tea. And if I happen to eye some very nice-looking berries at the market, which is what happened this time, I’ll make a fruity tea concoction.

Blueberries, lemon, and mint. Could there be a more refreshing-sounding trio? Making the blueberry mint iced tea is relatively easy: just boil the blueberries for about 5 minutes and mash them up with a spoon, stir in some lemon juice and sugar, add mint to steep, and mix it with brewed green tea. (And be generous with the mint!)

This recipe makes about 8 cups, though if they days continue to be this muggy, I might just double or triple the recipe.

Now, on to the fridge to pour myself another glass…

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Blueberry Mint Iced Tea

Makes 10 cups

4 cups blueberries (about 2 dry pints)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup roughly torn fresh mint
1 cup sugar, plus more to taste
4 bags green tea

In a medium pot, combine the blueberries with 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook the blueberries for 5 minutes, using a large spoon to mash up the berries. Stir in the lemon juice, mint, and sugar. Allow the mixture to simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes so the mint flavor infuses. Remove from the heat and strain the blueberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Set the blueberry syrup aside.
In another small pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Steep the green tea bags in the water for 5 to 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
Stir the blueberry syrup and the green tea together in a pitcher. Adjust the sweetness with more sugar if you’d like. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve in individual glasses with plenty of ice. Garnish with mint sprigs.