Xanthan Gum Free Herbal Arnold Palmer with Fresh Herbs

Total time45 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

Xanthan Gum Free Herbal Arnold Palmer with Fresh Herbs

This garden-fresh twist on a classic half-and-half drink is bright, floral, and genuinely refreshing in a way that store-bought versions just can't match. Steeping black tea with fresh mint, basil, and optional lavender creates a deeply aromatic base that pairs beautifully with tart, freshly squeezed lemon juice. Everything here is naturally free of thickeners and stabilizers — no additives, no fillers, just real ingredients doing all the work. The homemade simple syrup keeps the sweetness balanced and clean, dissolving right into the lemonade without any fuss. Pouring the two components over ice and letting them swirl together is honestly half the fun, and the result looks as good as it tastes. It's the kind of drink you'll want to make for a backyard gathering or a slow afternoon on the porch, and guests will absolutely ask for the recipe.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the herbal tea

4 cups water, divided
3 black tea bags
Lipton Black Tea, 8 oz Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast Decaffeinated - 20 Count PG Tips Black Tea - 40 Count Stash Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count
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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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