Almond Free Herbal Arnold Palmer with Fresh Herbs
This drink is the ultimate warm-weather refresher — a garden-fresh twist on the classic half-and-half that tastes like it came from a fancy café patio. Black tea gets steeped together with fresh mint, fresh basil, and optional dried lavender, creating a deeply aromatic base that's floral, herby, and just a little unexpected. A quick homemade simple syrup brings everything into balance, while freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the lemonade side a bright, tangy punch that bottled versions simply can't match. Every single ingredient here is naturally free from tree nuts, so there's no label-scanning or cross-contamination anxiety to worry about — just clean, wholesome sipping. The two components come together over ice in tall glasses, and the result is stunning enough to serve at a summer gathering but easy enough to make on a random Tuesday afternoon. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a lemon wheel and it looks almost too pretty to drink — almost.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the herbal tea
- 4 cups water, divided
- 3 black tea bags
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, lightly packed
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp dried culinary lavender (optional)
For the simple syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
For the lemonade
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
- 1 ½ cups cold water
For serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
- lemon slices, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 2 cups of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, mint leaves, basil leaves, and dried lavender (if using), and steep for 5 minutes.
- 2
Remove and discard the tea bags. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the herbs gently to extract their liquid, then discard the solids. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of cold water and let the tea cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
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