Iced Lemongrass Jasmine Tea

Directions

1. In a mini food processor, pulse lemongrass (or finely chop) and place in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and allow lemongrass to steep 1 hour.
2. Strain liquid into a bowl or glass and discard lemongrass. Return liquid to saucepan. Slice vanilla beans and scrape out inside. Add vanilla bean scrapings and sugar.
3. Heat until sugar dissolves and edges begin to simmer. By this point, the liquid should be clear (not cloudy). Remove saucepan from heat and allow simple syrup to cool. Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.

1. Bring 5 cups of water to a full boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and allow water to cool to 180 degrees.
2. Add jasmine green tea leaves and allow to steep 3 to 5 minutes, until tea reaches desired strength.
3. Strain tea into a large jar or pitcher and discard tea leaves. Allow tea to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

1. Fill a shaker half-way with ice. Pour 1 cup of chilled jasmine green tea, 1/2 cup of lychee juice, and 1 ounce of the simple syrup into shaker.
2. Secure the lid and shake well. Pour into a tall ice-filled glass. Repeat process to make additional servings.

1. To prepare this recipe in parts, the simple syrup can be prepared up to 1 week in advance, and the jasmine tea can be made up to 3 days in advance.
2. Try any quality tropical 100% juice if you can't find pure lychee juice.
3. You'll end up with more simple syrup than you need for this recipe. Use the syrup for other cocktails or mocktails, or simply repeat this iced tea recipe until it's all used.