Ina Garten Sweetens Iced Tea In An Unexpected Way

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Ina Garten knows what she likes in her drinks. She likes serving the two-ingredient raspberry royale whenever she's hosting a party, and you will also find her preparing and gulping her favorite whiskey sour cocktail whenever she gets the chance. When it comes to non-alcoholic drinks, Garten also has her personal picks, and one of them is herbal iced tea. She's very specific with how she prepares this beverage, as she likes it sweetened in the most natural way. As indicated in "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," first published in 1999, the television cook adds apple juice to her concoction to sweeten it before refrigerating the beverage until it gets cold and ready to serve.

It's important to note that Garten uses four Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger and four Red Zinger tea bags steeped in four cups of hot water before combining with four cups of juice for her herbal iced tea drink. Neither tea is inherently sweet and is mainly known for its tangy flavor, as well as its red color. While it would make sense for Garten to simply add sugar or honey to this mix if she wanted to make it sweet, using pure apple juice seems deliberate, as it is high in sugar, but it has a distinct fruity sweetness to it.

When the long, summer days set in, you may want to try Ina Garten's herbal iced tea as a refreshment to get you through the hot weather. "It's so refreshing, especially during a heat wave!" Garten wrote on Instagram when she demonstrated the recipe to her fans on the platform in the summer of 2025. She also highlighted the fact that her concoction does not have caffeine since the Celestial Seasonings teas she uses for the recipe are caffeine-free. Plus, the drink does not have artificial sweeteners. As such, her iced tea is probably the best nonalcoholic drink to serve during summertime festivities, especially when you have family or guests who are very particular about what they put into their bodies.

It's worth noting that aside from Garten, Martha Stewart is also a big fan of the Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea. However, she prefers to combine it with the brand's Red Raspberry Zinger tea, and she doesn't like adding a fruity juice to sweeten the blend. So, if you want something you can confidently serve to guests of all ages, including kids who likely prefer sweet refreshments, then you should opt for Garten's sweetened tea blend. You can elevate its flavor profile further by stirring in fresh berries, fresh mint, and even some lemon slices.