Peach Iced Tea (plus bonus vodka)

I love iced tea, but I am alone in this within my household. Therefore, I take it upon myself to make a batch now and then that is entirely set up to cater to my whims. That means I use some Ginger Peach Tea from The Republic of Tea (my favorite) and further flavor it with super ripe fresh peaches. That also means this is a time-sensitive beverage limited to July, August, and maybe early September. But man, is it worth enjoying during these months!

And, since I managed to garner twenty-five pounds of amazing peaches recently, I also tossed together the makings of some lovely peach vodka too. This one's just too simple for a recipe. Grab a mason jar, add 4-5 halved peaches to the jar, and fill the rest of the jar with vodka. Seal the jar and keep it in a cool, dark place for a few weeks while you gently shake it every few days to help flavor infusion along. Strain away the peaches and enjoy the vodka. If you've gotten a really good infusion, this vodka will get somewhat slushy when stored in the freezer and helps to make the most amazing summer cocktails. My favorite involves some of the aforementioned slushy vodka mixed with chilled ginger beer. This is my go-to Friday night summer cocktail!

But now, briefly back to the tea. You can use any of your favorite varieties of tea - strain thoroughly if you use loose tea leaves. You can skip the lemon, but I find the mix a bit too cloyingly sweet without it. You can use other forms of sweetener, but adding sugar to the boiling water is simply so easy to do that it's my go-to method. After all, when summer is sapping our energy at every turn, why not sit back and enjoy the simpler things in life? Stay safe!