Chicken Free Herbal Arnold Palmer with Fresh Herbs
This drink is the ultimate warm-weather refresher — a fragrant, herb-forward twist on the classic half-and-half that feels genuinely special without requiring much effort. Steeping black tea with fresh mint and basil pulls out layers of flavor that no bottled version can touch, and the optional lavender adds a floral note that makes the whole thing feel a little luxurious. A quick homemade simple syrup ties it all together, giving you just the right amount of sweetness to balance the bright, tart lemonade. Everything here is naturally plant-based and completely free of any meat or poultry, so there's zero guesswork about what's in your glass. Squeezing your own lemons makes a noticeable difference — the fresh juice has a clean, vivid acidity that store-bought concentrate just can't replicate. Serve it over a tall glass of ice with a sprig of mint and a lemon wheel, and it looks as good as it tastes.
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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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