Celery Free Herbal Arnold Palmer with Fresh Herbs
This drink is a serious upgrade on a classic summer sipper, layering fresh mint and basil into the tea base for something that tastes garden-bright and genuinely refreshing. The lavender is optional, but even a tablespoon transforms the whole thing into something that feels a little fancy without any extra effort. A quick homemade simple syrup keeps the sweetness balanced, and the fresh-squeezed lemon juice gives the lemonade side a tartness that store-bought versions just can't match. Everything gets steeped, strained, and stirred together in a way that's totally approachable, even if you've never made a flavored simple syrup before. Celery is one of those sneaky ingredients that turns up in unexpected places — spice blends, flavored syrups, even some packaged drink mixes — so making this entirely from scratch means you know exactly what's in your glass. Poured over ice with a sprig of mint and a lemon wheel, it's the kind of drink that makes an ordinary afternoon feel like a proper occasion.
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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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