Sweeties, ‘tis the season for fall get togethers with family and loved ones. It’s the time for brisk evenings and maybe a weekend bon fire… or two! Before you know it, the holidays will be amongst us (ho-ho-ho). Can you believe it? 2018 is surely flying by and we are along for the ride. We LOVE this time of year for lots and lots of reasons: the changing fall leaves, cozy evenings, the kick off to the holiday season, and the fall flavors like apple and cinnamon.
Y’all know that we love our sweet tea all year ‘round. If the weather is hot or chilly, we are sweet tea sippin’. No matter what time of year it is, there is nothin’ like a crisp, refreshing beverage y’all. Don’t you agree? Today, we’re sharing a lovely sparkling homemade sweet tea recipe that you can prepare for your guests using our zero calorie cold brew sweet tea bags and crisp apples from the farm or local market. All you will need are a few ingredients and some thirsty cider loving folks to share it with. Who’s ready for the how-to?
Sparkling Sweet Tea Recipe:
Makes 8 delicious servings:
Ingredients:
- 32 oz. sugar free apple cider or sugar free apple juice
- 5 cups of Original Southern Breeze Cold Brew Sweet Tea (already brewed)
- 5 star anise
- 4-5 cinnamon sticks
- 2 large apples, diced into small cube pieces
- 1 bottle of dry sparkling wine or dry champagne
Instructions:
- Fill your favorite large pitcher with the apple cider/juice, sweet tea, and combine cinnamon, star anise, and apples. Mix together and chill in the fridge for about two hours or more if you like! This will have all the flavors marinate together as one delicious mixture. Pour in a frosty glass and top off with a splash…or two of sparkling wine. Sip and enjoy the goodness.
Sweet Recipe Tips to keep in mind!
- For a bolder flavor, simmer the spices along with the apples, apple cider/juice, and sweet tea on the stove on a low setting for a few minutes.
Doesn’t this just make you want to put on some boots, wrap yourself in a cozy scarf, kick your feet up, and sip sweet tea cider slowly? Ahh… One of the great things about homemade apple cider is that you can control the amount of sugar that goes into the recipe. Most store bought ciders or ciders from restaurants are actually soaked in sugar. Even some traditional sparkling iced tea recipes from granny’s cookbooks call for cups of added sugar but we say nooo thank you to that!
We recommend cutting the sugar by using sugar free apple juice or cider. Southern Breeze and the apples will sweeten the cider just fine. Don’t you worry! You won’t miss the sugar at all-your diet won’t either! Want to make this recipe alcohol free for the kiddos? Pick up some sparkling cider or club soda at the market-you will still get that fizz that makes this recipe so yummy.
There you have it folks! You can also use this recipe time and time again, even well into the holiday season or as long as the apples stay fresh. Feel free to make this recipe your own and modify any of the ingredients to your liking. That’s the beauty of it, Sweeties. What else do you like to add to your apple cider recipes that make them unique? Comment below to let us know. Happy fall y’all!