Inspired by the bad bartender thread in The Pit. My favorite bartenderess at BWW invented ice tea - shaken, not stirred, after I joked about it last year.
Fill the glass with lots of ice and the tea then give a lemon slice just the right squeeze (not too much), drop it in and add one pack of pink sweetener. Pour into shaker, shake and decant into tall glass. It adds a nice little foam to the tea.
If she sees me coming in the door it is on the bar by the time I get there. It’s my signature drink now. She gets a big tip.
I was dirt-poor when I lived on the Mojave Desert many orbits ago and I could barely afford food, let alone stimulants. Enter ephedra viridens, Mormon tea. Easily found and picked. Fairly bitter, so when stopping at a McFooderie to use the toilet, I’d grab a handful of sweetener and lemon-juice packets. Odd but tolerable flavor, for tea.
Do not brew tea from datura, Jimson weed. That is not prudent. Even sweetened and iced.
I’ve taught (forced) myself to like only straight tea. No sugar, most days. Can’t tolerate the pink or blue packets. Lemon makes my mouth sore.
I’m still gonna shake me some up. The foamy part might be fun.