Chef Aaron McCargo's Flying Eagle Iced Tea

With a name like this you've got to say it before you start drinking it, so fly high and enjoy the ride.

MID-WEEK MIXERS by Naomi Blackburn

Chef Aaron McCargo's Flying Eagle Iced Tea

Gotta admit that I LOVE Chef Aaron McCargo. When I saw this featured on his show Big Daddy's House, I made it that second. I have tweaked his original recipe because the original could put hair on the chest of any woman and was too strong with the taste of vodka, but this stuff is pretty killer.

It combines iced tea, mint simple syrup, vodka and lemon and all I can say is YUM!

So, here we go:

Ingredients:

Mint Simple Syrup:

1 cup          fresh lemon juice (do not use concentrate!)
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup mint leaves

Directions:

1) Place FRESH LEMON JUICE and sugar in a small pan. Simmer until sugar is melted.
2) Add mint leaves and muddle into simple syrup.
3) Set aside to cool

In the meantime

Iced Tea:

Ingredients:

4 cups cold water
2 tea bags

Directions:

1) Bring water to a boil and add tea bags. Allow to steep.

Finally:

1) Combine mint simple syrup, tea and 1.5 cups vodka in a pitcher. I have also used citrus vodka in this recipe.
2) Allow to chill for 4 hours
3) Serve in a tall glass with plenty of ice and mint leaves/lemon slices as garnishes.