cheap tea and lemonade

[neonalee]

What is the cheapest way to brew plain (decaf) tea and make lemonade?  I like to drink them mixed together.  Is buying the cheapest black tea and brewing it then chilling it the least expensive for tea?  What about lemonade?  Lemons are .50 each here, so that doesn't work.  I do drink powdered drink mixes but the lemonade ones never taste right, and that's probably not the most frugal method...

[yeahwhat]

Realemon has a recipe for lemonade on the label of the big bottles.  You can also buy the generic version.  I buy 2 big bottles for $4 at Costco, and they would make gallons of lemonade with just water and sugar added.

[mumkimum]

Especially if you're planning to mix the lemonade with tea - a bottled lemon juice would work out well.  We always drank that for lemonade growing up (tastes especially authentic with ice).  

Sometimes using half bottled lemon juice half powder drink mix can improve the lemony flavor of the drink mixes (not entirely sure if makes either option cheaper or not. . . depends on your cost of each).  

Frozen lemonade concentrate might be something else to check the price on too - mixing a spoon of that into brewed iced tea might work out just fine, and it might last quite awhile making it pretty cost-effective.

[neonalee]

Thanks for these ideas!  

[Amys1st]

WE buy lemon juice on sale. Keep it on hand. We make our own simple syrup= in a small pot, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup water. Brring to boil and whisk until sugar dissolved. When boiled and sugar dissolved take off heat to cool. 

Keep in fridge in contaner.

When making a pitcher of lemonade, take the entire simple syrup and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Mix and add water until sweet enough. Add ice enjoy.

Or if making a glass of lemonade, 1/2 shot of lemon juice and 1 shot of simple syrup. Add enough water for glass using mix or shake.

For variation for adults- add a shot of vodka, ice and a cup of water. Shake for vodka lemonade. Very tasty!

Sometimes lemon juice can be a bit sour so we add a dash of lime juice as well for a all sweet and lemony taste.

Tea, I buy frontier wholesale tea in loose. We make a tea traditionally and then after it steeps and cools, I put it in a large pitcher of ice. You can add mint, lemon, raspberry ice cubes or simple syrup. Everyone loves my tea and my lemonade (both versions)