The beverage is one of Tasha's specialties. She made it from late spring through late summer, most frequently on the hottest days of the year, usually from July to August. She set the front porch table with a turkey red tablecloth, straw spoons, cups, sugar water, a plate of cookies, and a vase of flowers.
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
5 tablespoons black loose-leaf tea
1 quart fresh cold water
6 oranges
6 lemons
6 limes
1 quart ginger ale
Make a simple syrup by bringing sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil, then reducing heat and simmering until sugar dissolves. Cool, then place in a canning jar with a lid, but don't refrigerate or it will crystalize.
Pour 1 quart boiling water into a pitcher with 5 tablespoons tea leaves and steep 5 minutes, stirring once. Pour tea through a strainer into a second pitcher. Cool but don't refrigerate, as doing so will could tea.
Juice the oranges, lemons, and limes. For each serving, put fruit juice in a large glass, pour tea to halfway mark, then fill the remainder with ginger ale and 2 ice cubes. Add syrup to taste. Garnish with mint.
You might also like Tasha's Stillwater Punch recipe, have you tried it?
The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook and Tasha's favorite Welsh Breakfast Tea are available in our online store.