Green Tea Lemonade with Pomegranate & Mint

~Jackie~

My favorite time to blog is during my lunch break at work. I love to get out of the office and go to a nearby coffee shop, grab a drink, and blog for an hour. I work in a great little shopping area full of stores and restaurants, and the closest coffee shop is just a block away. I have gone just about every week for the past two years; I even have one of those old school punch cards where you get your 10th drink free (why doesn’t Starbucks do this?). The special thing about this coffee shop is not just its perfect location, but the fact that every single drink they make is terrible. I have tried everything from their spicy chai’s to their green tea lattes, even just their hot tea, and I am underwhelmed every time. This winter I settled for hot chocolate because it at least tasted decent, but I felt like a 12-year-old every time I ordered it. Anyways, I recently went in to buy my awful drink just to use the free wifi, and saw a pitcher of iced tea on the counter and asked what it was. I was told it was green tea lemonade (even though it was red and not green), so I decided to give this a try…it was delicious! It is the only thing I drink now that I don’t feel like I’m wasting my money on. SO, this particular drink is my inspiration for this recipe that I think is even better than the nameless coffee shop’s drink and the similar popular drink at Starbucks! (note: this blog post was not written in nameless coffee shop) 

This drink could not be more simple to make and it is a refreshing alternative to soda or sugar-dense fruit juices. Plus, green tea is one of the healthiest things you can drink so your body will be thanking you. Green tea is high in antioxidants which help prevent cell damage, it also improves blood flow and can help lower cholesterol. To make this easy drink begin by brewing the tea (rule of thumb when making iced tea is double the doses). Normally 1 bag of tea brews 8 ounces, so I used 4 bags to brew 16 ounces for two glasses. Once the tea has brewed for about 3 minutes you can chill it in the refrigerator or if you want to use it right away then just pour over ice. Add about a cup of tea and a cup of pre-made (easy, right?!) lemonade to each glass filled with ice and top with a splash of pomegranate juice and fresh mint sprigs. Enjoy this refreshing drink on the patio or by the pool this summer and skip the nameless coffee shop! Cheers!