The name is a doozy, I’ll give you that. I debated whether or not I should shorten it, but really, this is the only name that does this drink justice.
It’s an Arnold Palmer, which means it’s a mixture of iced tea and lemonade. But what really makes it special is the “Sparkling Strawberry Oolong” part. Oolong is a really fragrant, almost fruity Chinese tea, and it gives this Arnold Palmer a lovely flavor. The addition of strawberries makes it taste like summer, and who doesn’t love a drink with fizz?
This is the perfect beverage to take outside on a hot day, whether you serve it at a barbecue or drink it by the pool. (Or spend three hours being a good daughter who painstakingly weeds the entire yard and/or ends up spreading mulch on six different flower beds, which leads you to then chug it down like an animal. You know, whichever you prefer).
Here’s how ya make it (for the full recipe, you can also scroll down to the bottom of the post):
Recipe Instructions
First, you’re going to want to put the kettle on.
When your water’s boiling, turn off the heat and add the tea. Allow it to steep until it’s cool.
Then take your lemons…
And zest/juice them. Throw the juiced lemon halves into the steeping tea. You want to get all the lemon flavor you can out of ’em.
Then you can wash and hull your strawberries. Just take a small paring knife and cut around the green part.
Now it’s time to make your simple syrup. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium low heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Then turn off the heat and stir in the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, and strawberries.
Pour the mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender to combine all the ingredients. Let it cool off for a little while, just so it’s not piping hot.
Then, measure out your sparkling water…
(Apologies for the wonky angle of this photograph. Guess I was getting a little too excited about this whole strawberry oolong arnold palmer thing, and I got a little sloppy.)
And pour it into a pitcher, along with your strained, steeped tea.
Then, use the same strainer to also strain in your strawberry mixture.
Pour into a glass with some ice, garnish with a slice of lemon and a slice of strawberry, and your’e done!
Take it outside, and say hello to summer!
Here’s the full recipe in a printable version:
Sparkling Strawberry Oolong Arnold Palmer
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4-5 teaspoons loose leaf oolong tea (or about 4 oolong tea bags)
- zest of 4 lemons
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
- 1/2 cup simple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 pint strawberries (washed and hulled)
- 2 ½ cups sparkling water (lemon-lime or plain)
- ice cubes
- strawberry and lemon slices (to garnish)
Instructions
- Boil your 4 cups of water and steep the tea until it’s cooled.
- Zest and juice your lemons. Then throw the juiced lemon halves into the steeping tea, so that they can infuse the tea with lemon flavor.
- While your tea is steeping, make your simple syrup by simmering ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan until all the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, and strawberries.
- Pour the mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender to combine all the ingredients. Allow to cool.
- Pour the sparkling water into a pitcher. Then strain your tea in, along with your strawberry mixture.
- Pour into glasses over some ice cubes. Garnish with lemon and strawberry slices.
