Rosemary-Peach Iced Tea

I’m going to state the obvious: there is nothing more refreshing than a tall glass of iced tea on a hot summer day.
I know it, you know it, even my 6-year old niece knows it.
Iced tea quenches your thirst and satisfies your desire for flavor. It’s one of those delicious flavors that just makes the summertime seem worth while. That and BBQs, doing things outdoors, Central Park Summer Stage, MoMA PS1, Water Fight NYC, and long walks on the beach. Just to name a few.

Another thing we all know is that freshly brewed iced tea tastes way better than anything you’d find in a bottle or powdered mix.
Everyone has a recipe for iced tea and a trick or two up his/her sleeve to make THE best iced tea.
Mine is baking soda.
I know it sounds crazy but a pinch of baking soda really improves the taste.
It neutralizes the tannins in the tea, makes it less bitter, and gives it that "smooth" taste we all love.
It's a family secret though, so I’m going to ask you to keep it between you, me, and well, the Internet.
Nah, just kidding.
It’s a well known secret to many, especially in the South — where they know a thing or two about iced tea!
If you’ve never tried it, I urge you to do it next time you brew iced tea at home. It’s really something.

So what about this Rosemary-Peach Iced Tea?
I would start by saying that it’s truly spectacular.
Yup, that good.
The peaches are not infused in the tea as you might expect. Instead, they’re cooked with the sugar to create a sort of fruit jam, which is then strained directly into the tea.
Rosemary is added at the very last stage to add that little je-ne-sais-quoi.
You can think of this as a pepped up version of iced tea. It's so delicious I'm sure it'll become a favorite at your house, too.

Rosemary-Peach Iced Tea                                                                                              Print this recipe!

Note. I don’t like my iced tea overly sweet, ½ cup of sugar works for me, but feel free to play around.

Ingredients

4 cups / 1 l water
4 tea bags
6 large (very ripe) peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup / 4 oz / 115 gr coconut palm sugar* (adjust to taste)
Pinch of baking soda
2 stalks fresh rosemary
6 cups cold water

*Use regular brown sugar if you don’t care about the paleo thing

Directions

Bring 4 cups of water to a very gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and place tea bags in the water. Let the tea bags steep for 5 to 6 minutes (or longer if you like a stronger flavor!)
Remove the tea bags and set aside.
In the meantime, place peaches and sugar in a sauce pot and cook on medium heat until the peaches are bubbly and broken down.
Puree the mixture in a food processor (or blender), then strain through a fine mesh strainer, directly into the tea.
Add rosemary stalks, cold water, and baking soda. Mix well and refrigerate until cold.
Serve chilled over ice.