Mint & Lemon Syrup for Iced Tea

The weatherman keeps talking about how its hot but the air is dry so its wonderful.  Truth is its hot and if I do any kind of work outside or in (like cleaning house or digging in the garden), I'm going to get hot and sweaty.  I try to keep a big pitcher of iced tea in  the refrigerator (I know, you shouldn't keep it in the frig but I like it that way).  There is still a lot of mint in the garden, peppermint that is, and even though I generally like my tea unsweetened, still a teaspoon or two of my homemade peppermint/lemon sugar syrup is perfect in my iced tea right now. 

Saucepan of sugar, water, mint & lemon zest.

This is so easy to make. In a medium saucepan put 2 cups white granulated sugar, 2 cups water, a cup of loosely packed, washed, fresh mint leaves and the zest of 1/2 a large or all of a small lemon (don't forget to wash the lemon). You want just the oily outer peel of the lemon. Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to skin the lemon.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and let it simmer five minutes. Take it off the heat and let it sit to cool.

Strain mixture into measuring cup

When its cool, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup that is more than two cups capacity. Then, using a funnel, pour the syrup into a storage container of your choice. I like these plastic squeeze bottles for convenience and because a only use a couple of squirts.

Pour mixture into plastic squeeze bottle using a funnel 

You can also use those fancy decorative bottles you've been keeping for gift giving. This makes a great hostess gift or just a nice anytime little gift for a friend who loves sweet tea.

A fancy bottle of mint and lemon sugar syrup ready for gift giving. Iced tea ready for me!