Is there anything more lovely than the beauty and fragrance of a rose? Capture the delightful aroma and essence of a rose garden in this summertime glass of iced rose petal tea! Crisp, aromatic and refreshing you can make it with fresh rose petals or dried when fresh ones aren’t available. Select organic pink rose petals with high fragrance for the best colour and flavour. Add a few red rose or hibiscus petals to adjust the colour of the tea and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Personalize your tea with a variety of herbs and spices or add vodka for a one-of-a-kind delicious summer cooler. Freeze additional rose petals in ice cubes and add to each glass for an attractive edible garnish.
Iced Rose Petal Tea
MAKES 2-3 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups gently packed fresh, fragrant organic rose petals (with the white base tip of petals snipped off as that part can be slightly bitter)
OR
• 2/3 cup of dried Organic Rose Petals
• 3 cups pure water boiled, slightly cooled
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (helps with colour)
• 2 – 3 teaspoons of organic raw sugar, or to taste (see notes below)
• Ice cubes or rose petal ice cubes
OPTIONS:
• 2 or 3 hibiscus petals for a deeper rose colour and additional vitamin C
• 1-2 cardamom pods or a 1” piece of vanilla bean
• Rose petal ice cubes
• For a Summer Rose Cooler add Vodka or Rose Vodka
HOW TO
• Bring 3 cups of the water to a boil and cool slightly
• Add rose petals (and hibiscus, cardamom or vanilla if using) to a heat-proof container and pour over boiled water.
• Cover and steep a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 4 hours
• Strain the rose tea into a glass measuring cup or pitcher, pressing down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Compost or discard petals.
• Add lemon juice, sugar to taste, and cool tea if still warm
• Fill 2-3 glasses with ice and pour over cooled rose tea
• Add vodka if using
• Add garnishes of choice and enjoy!
TIPS
• If not using sugar you can replace it with mild honey (stronger honey will overpower the delicate rose flavour)
• Make rose petal iced cubes by freezing fresh petals and water in ice cube trays. They look so pretty in a glass of iced tea!
• Use 1 cup less water to steep rose petals and top drinks with club soda or sparkling water
• Colour of steeped rose tea will depend on the variety of roses used and if hibiscus and lemon juice are added
