After 13.5 years of being in the United Kingdom I still have lots of questions about life, how things work, and what some foods are. Pimms is one such thing. If you haven’t tried it yet, today I’m going to share a recipe for Pimms with refreshing fruit tea with you; my own twist for this classic summer drink.
I remember back to my first three summers in Belfast sitting in y small box-room bedroom in a shared house. i was working fro 8-6 4 days a week so I had an extra weekday off each week. On that day I’d often watch Richard and Judy on my small and dangerous TV (it was known to throw sparks across the room from time to time). The adverts during this show were often for Pimms.
I’d never heard of Pimms (this post contains affiliate links) before, but here (or at least in England) it looked to be THE summer beverage of choice (along with Gordon’s Gin). It always looked so refreshing but I didn’t want to try something that I may not like as alcohol is a luxury item when you’re on a strict budget.
So, last year I finally broke down and bought a bottle, knowing that if I didn’t care for it, Phil may like it. I tried it ‘neat’ and I wasn’t so sure about it. So I put together a drink that I thought might compliment it as a summer refreshment using some ingredients in the kitchen.
You can also make a child-friendly drink by simply omitting the Pimms and adding in some sparkling water, which is also very delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Water
- 1 1/4 Cups Sugar
- 4-5 Star Anise Pods
- 2-3 Peach and raspberry tea bags
- Mixed summer fruits (I used frozen fruit to help keep the drink cool)
- Pimms, to taste
- Mint leaf (optional)
Instructions:
Simple Syrup with tea
Put the water in a small saucepan and heat it on the stove along with the star anise.
Bring it to a boil on high heat and wait for 2 minutes.
Lower the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved.
Bring the mixture back to a full boil and then remove from the heat.
Add the teabags and stir well to release the flavour; the more teabags the stronger the flavour will be.
Let it sit covered until it’s cool, then remove the teabags and star anise.
Refrigerate.
Pimms With Refreshing Fruit Tea
Drop some frozen or fresh fruit into each glass. Our fruit mix contained strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, black currents, etc.
Pour some of the tea syrup over the fruit.
Add a splash of Pimms.
For a little extra excitement, you can also add some sparkling water or 7Up to the mix.
Stir everything together to blend the flavours.
Add a sprig of mint, a paper umbrella, etc. for decoration if you so desire.
Sit back and enjoy!
Have you tried Pimms before? What’s your favourite way to enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below so I can find new ways to use my bottle.
