Tea Party

Day after day the temperatures in St. Louis have reached well over 90 degrees. I think my body is now made up of 90% iced tea as I am fighting to beat this heat and stay hydrated. My iced tea concoction of choice is the Arnold Palmer. I'm not a huge fan of sweet teas, so the lemonade sweetens the tea up but not as much as pure sugar. When in a pinch, I'll take a regular iced tea doctored up with a packet of Splenda.

For a party, a shower, or a luncheon, you have to dazzle up your

tea, just like the classic Japanese tea rituals do. To do so, you just need a few fancy flourishes. I like a tall glass, like the Abigail's Water/Iced Tea glass, accompanied with a long, ornate spoon, made long enough to stir the sugar crystals at the bottom. A nice heavy crystal or glass pitcher, such as the William Yeoward's Wisteria Covered Pitcher, is also nice to have on hand for a beautiful iced tea luncheon celebration. The clear vessel allows for a beautiful presentation with mint leaves or fruit.

Here is an extra special tea recipe I like to serve at my luncheons:

6 Bag tea (you can use Liptons or Luzianne)

2 quarts water

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 cup orange juice

6 mint sprigs

1/2 lemon

1 orange

cloves

To make this tea: Steep the tea bags in boiling water for three minutes. Chill the tea. Before serving, stir in the sugar, orange juice, and mint sprigs. Pour the tea in your serving pitcher. Slice your lemons and oranges and stick each slice with 3-4 cloves. Add fruit to the top. Voila! a delicious iced tea recipe, that's not overly sweet!