Rosemary and Orange Iced Tea

I have recently began to buy a lot of oranges where I’m forced to use them before they go bad. I can't begin to count the number of my newer recipes that have orange in someway or form (5 btw if anyone wants to know). I bought a couple of fresh rosemary to use in a recipe and changed my mind so I’m stuck with fresh orange and rosemary that will go bad if not used pretty soon. I also feel the need to say that though it seems like I'm in a rush to use all my oranges and rosemary, this iced tea recipe has become a favorite and i’ll keep on making it. In fact i’ll probably start buying extra oranges for this until they go out of season. enjoy!

Recipe

what you need

5 herbal tea bags ( I used celestial seasonings’ Tension Tamer, it contains cinnamon, peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass, catnip and tilia flowers)

1 fresh rosemary stem (don't bother separating into sprigs)

3 rosemary sprigs, for the brown sugar syrup.

2 cups brown sugar

3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

3 oranges sliced (for serving)

2 fresh rosemary sprigs for serving

ice cubes, for serving

sliced peels of 1 orange

Directions

Heat 7 cups of water until it begins to boil then turn off heat. Pour boiling water over tea bags and allow to steep for 6 mins. Remove tea bags from hot water and squeeze the excess water. Discard tea bags. Rub rosemary stem between the palms to release the oils and put into the hot tea. Set tea inside the refrigerator until completely cold.

To make the orange rosemary brown sugar syrup, combine the brown sugar, 2 rosemary sprigs, orange peel in 1 cup of water. Boil over low heat until thick (10 to 14mins). Strain and set in fridge until it cools down completely.

Remove the tea and rosemary mixture from the fridge and strain to remove all the rosemary. Discard the discolored rosemary. Pour into a large bowl and add the orange juice and orange & rosemary brown sugar syrup. Stir, taste and add more sugar if not enough for you.

To serve put the ice cubes Into a glass, add the orange slices and the iced tea. Top with rosemary sprig and enjoy.