Want to make your beloved Starbucks iced passion tango tea lemonade at home? It is easier than you think! With a few key ingredients and some tips and tricks, you will be to whip up your favorite cold drink in no time at all!
Here is what you need to know to make one of the best ever copycat recipes...
Contents
The Starbucks passion tea lemonade contains around 11g of sugar but is one of the healthier drinks on the menu. Of course, when you make your own drink, then you can make certain alterations to make it even healthier.
Here is what you will require to make this Starbucks passion tea lemonade at home:
Before going any further, you should get some background information on the passion tea bags used in this recipe.
Despite the name and contrary to popular belief, passion tango tea doesn't actually contain any passion fruit. The Starbucks passion tea lemonade was called this due to the intense pink color of the drink.
In reality, passion tea is an infusion of hibiscus flowers, citric acid, natural flavors, cinnamon, apple, licorice root, lemongrass, and fruit juice extract.
As you can see, the exact ingredients for this iced tea are quite complex and some elements are unknown. This makes it difficult to recreate the specific flavors of the drink at home. This is why people use the Tazo passion tea bags - they are a good replica.
Now, there is also a Teavana passion tango tea and this is something that you can try. It isn't as popular as the other brand, however.
I have mentioned that you can use either Tazo Passion or Iced Passion tea bags for the iced passion tango tea. In case you are wondering what the difference is, they are identical in terms of ingredients and composition. They are even prepared in the same way.
However, the iced tea has a larger sachet as it is used to make a larger quantity at once. If you are using the regular tea bags then you will need to increase how many bags are used.
It should be noted that some people don't particularly like the taste of the iced tea, but this is a personal choice. You may want to run a taste test before you make a large batch, though.
For 4 Servings
In a pan, bring four cups of water to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and add tea bags. Steep the tea bags for between 5 to 15 minutes, depending on desired strength. Remove the bags when you are done and allow to cool to room temperature.
If you want, you can place the tea concentrate to get really cold in the refrigerator.
In a cocktail shaker, place equal parts lemonade and tea concentrate, along with ice. Shake well. Pour each drink over ice.
If you want to make a large quantity at once, you can combine the lemonade, tea concentrate, and the ice in a large pitcher and stir well.
Here are a few things that you should know about this copycat Starbucks passion tea lemonade recipe:
As you will notice, there are double the amount of tea bags per drink. This is because the goal here is to create a tea concentrate. As you will be mixing the passion tea with lemonade, the flavor will get diluted.
The instructions of the regular and iced passion tango tea advise you to remove tea bags after five minutes time. Leaving it for longer will make the tea stronger, but you have to be careful that the brew doesn't become bitter at any point.
It is best to taste the tea after the five minutes is up and decide at which point to remove tea bags.
You can also add even more tea bags to strengthen the flavor of the iced tea further.
There are two ways to cool this drink - it all depends on how much time you have. One option is to allow the passion tea to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it for several hours as you do with traditional iced tea.
If you are short on time, then wait for the passion tea to reach room temperature. Then, mix with the lemonade, and shake in a cocktail shaker with ice. This will cool the drink quickly without diluting the flavor.
If you are making the iced Starbucks passion tea lemonade for several people, it can be frustrating to use a cocktail shaker for each drink. That being said, it really will make all the difference with the iced passion tea lemonade.
For one thing, the flavors of the copycat Starbucks passion tea lemonade will be mixed beautifully, creating a much more cohesive flavor. There is also the fact that making iced tea this way allows you to cool the drink down without diluting the flavor.
It also adds a lovely frothiness that can't be achieved by simply stirring the Starbucks iced passion tea lemonade.
Here are some tips and tricks for changing or improving this iced passion tango tea:
Want to take up the flavor of the passion tea lemonade on another level? Then why not add some fruit, flowers, or even spices to the mix?
Apple slices are a great way to infuse the tea with some tartness and increase the apple flavor as well. If you are a fan of the hibiscus taste, add dried hibiscus flowers to the mix. Cinnamon and lemongrass can work wonders as well for this Starbucks passion tea lemonade recipe.
Add these ingredients in while the tea concentrate is brewing. You can leave them in for 5 to 15 minutes but keep tasting to get the flavor balance just right.
As you will notice, there is no sugar in this iced passion tango tea. The flavors of the iced tea add enough sweetness and most lemonades already contain sugar. If you do prefer a sweeter Starbucks passion tea lemonade, though, this can be managed.
Your best option is to use simple syrup instead of sugar. This dissolves better with the Starbucks passion tea lemonade and creates a more uniform sweetness. You can also use other types of sweeteners if you want to cut down on calories.
Considering the fruity, tropical flavors of the passion tango tea lemonade, vanilla can seem like an odd choice. Interestingly enough, though, it works well with the other ingredients.
Add the vanilla to the tea once it has cooled down and stir well. Start with 1/4 of a teaspoon and taste. If you would like to add more, go up to 1/2 a teaspoon.
Want to add some fizz to your Starbucks passion tea lemonade? Well, seltzer water or a similar neutral bubbly beverage will work.
For this iced passion tango tea version, use a lemonade concentrate but use only 2 cups. Make the rest of the drink up with seltzer water.
You may want to taste test this Starbucks passion tea lemonade version before making a large batch of iced tea.
Making this Starbucks passion tea lemonade recipe is quite simple if you know what you are doing. All that is left for you to do is to go ahead and give this iced tea a try. It is sure to become your favorite of all the copycat Starbucks drinks - one you will make time and time again!
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