Mint Iced Tea

I got an email from my friend Erin the other day, telling me she had just gone to Friedman's for brunch and had an egg BLT...and was I jealous? Umm, YES! After I got over my jealousy, I remembered that one of the things I love about Friedman's so much is their mint iced tea. I can't remember if theirs is sweetened, I'm pretty sure it's not...but I decided to try to replicate it and make mine a little sweet.

Tea:
6 cups water
4 Earl Grey tea bags

Peppermint simple syrup:
1/4 water
1/4 sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Boil 6 cups of water and pour into a large bowl with the tea bags, and let sit for about 3 minutes. The bowl I used was almost too small...



For the simple syrup, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan and bring down to a simmer for about 3 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the peppermint extract and let simmer for another 8-10 minutes.



You don't have to let the syrup cool before adding to the tea since the tea is probably still pretty warm. I totally guessed on how much simple syrup I would need for 6 cups of tea, and how much peppermint I should add...and somehow it came out perfectly. The tea was just a little bit sweet with a hint of mint. Now I have a nice big pitcher of mint iced tea in my refrigerator, since I can't make it to Friedman's!