Iced Green Tea with Pomegranate

This tea is so simple to make but you can serve it like a cocktail, it looks so good!  Naturally presentation counts, but it also tastes spectacular.  Not only that (and I know I'm going on a bit..) but of course it does great things for your body too!  We've all heard how healthy green tea is, being crammed with antioxidants which help your body fight disease, but don't forget the polyphenols (a form of antioxidants) which may actually lower cholesterol (the 'bad' cholesterol that clogs up your arteries) but increase the 'good' cholesterol (HDL).  Then there's the flavonoids in green tea which may help protect your body against disease.  We're hardly even mentioning green tea's weight loss properties!  This receipe mentions Green Dragon Oolong (Oolong tea is an inbetween of black and green tea).  Pure green tea works too and it goes without saying that the better quality tea, the better this drink is for it.

This drink's second main ingredient is pomegranate juice which was even consumed in ancient Babylonia, so naturally this fruit has a colorful history.  The ancient Persians believed the pomegrante seeds made their warriors invincible in battle.  The Chinese believed it symbolized longevity and pomerantes were added to the traditional clothes of the high priest in Hebrew tradition.  The pomegranate itself is the size of an apple containing seeds and pulp and if you want to cut one and eat it, it's a tricky process to keep your clothes and fingers free of red stains!  However, thanks to our enlightened society, we can now easily buy the juice in almost any supermarket. 

Look at the image below - doesn't it look just as good as any fancy cocktail?  It tastes delicious, has lots of healthy benefits and you can drink it anytime you want to; there's no alcohol in it.  Having said that, I do think you could experiment with that and maybe a dash of vodka would go down with the pomegranate flavor for a very different cocktail to serve to your guests....  At the other end of the scale, kids will love it too (without the vodka) and you can add more or less pomegranate juice so they can enjoy it - I'm thinking they'd go for the ice but not the fancy sprigs of herbs, but you never know.  Teenagers would definitely appreciate the garnish, I'd say.

Here's how to make it: 30 oz fresh (spring) water 1 1/2 tablespoons of green tea A handful of fresh mint leaves (can also include the stems) Pure pomegranate juice to taste Ice cubes Sprig of mint, lemon verbena or purple basil (as above) for garnish Heat the water to just boiling and pour over the green tea and mint.  You can use a teapot for this or any heat-resistant container will do.  Let this steep for 20-30 minutes and then strain into a glass container and let it cool to room temperate.  Then you can refrigerate it until cold. Now you can assemble your drink.  Pour four to six ounces of tea in the tall glass with ice in it.  Add the pomegrante juice to taste and stir.  Garnish with a sprig of herbs as above.  Serve it at once - your guests will be delighted. This recipe is adapted from the West End Cooler at Three Cups and is also posted by SpiceLines