MSG 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 any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. Black tea gets steeped alongside fresh mint and basil, pulling out layers of cool, aromatic flavor that you simply cannot get from a powder or a bottle. A touch of optional lavender deepens the floral notes even further if you're feeling adventurous. Everything here is squeezed, steeped, or stirred from scratch, so there's zero concern about hidden additives or flavor enhancers sneaking into your glass — just real ingredients doing all the work. The homemade simple syrup keeps the sweetness clean and balanced, letting the bright acidity of fresh lemon juice shine through without anything tasting artificial or flat. Poured over ice with a sprig of mint and a lemon slice, it looks like something you'd pay too much for at a café, but it comes together right in your own kitchen.
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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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