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This Berry Sangria Iced Tea is a take on the Starbucks drink. Herbal iced tea mixed with a berry orange syrup, apple juice and blackberries. So refreshing for a hot summer day.
Alright, so to be honest I don’t really go to Starbucks that often anymore. I just have found that I can make some pretty great coffee at home – like my lavender latte, my autumn spice latte, or just some french press with homemade vanilla syrup. But recently I read that Starbucks was offering a limited edition summer drink called Berry Sangria Iced Tea. I was instantly intrigued. There is something about a cold iced tea on a hot summer day that can’t be matched.
This isn’t actually sangria in that it doesn’t have any wine in it – nope no booze here, so you can drink it while you are running errands in your hot car. One day I was walking home from the grocery store, which just so happens to share a parking lot with a Starbucks. The hot sun was beating down on me, my grocery bag was heavy, and I just couldn’t resist that siren song of the mermaid. I ducked into the cool, air-conditioned coffee shop and ordered myself a Berry Sangria Iced Tea. “That will be $4.85” said the barista. Wowsa, iced tea has gotten expensive. I forked over the cash without shaking my fist or yelling “In my day, iced tea was $1.95!!” Which is what I wanted to do, but I refrained. Instead I quietly waited for my Venti Berry Sangria Iced Tea and then sipped it on my way home. I have to admit, it is refreshing.
Over the next week I went to Starbucks two more times to get my fix. I couldn’t resist! But to avoid going into debt over my Starbucks habit, I decided to attempt to make a version at home. I came up with a pretty close approximation that is so refreshing you will want to make a whole pitcher. I used Tazo Passion Iced Tea for this, which is the brand that Starbucks used for years. I know that Starbucks switched over to Teavana in the last few years, but Tazo is very easy to find at the grocery store, and I’m pretty sure they taste exactly the same. I found that cold brewing the iced tea gives it the smoothest flavor, but it does require planning ahead since cold brewing takes time. You can always use a quicker method to make the iced tea if you are in a hurry.
Blackberries are in season right now, so they are perfect for this Berry Sangria Iced Tea. You could also use raspberries if you have them. The nice thing about making this at home is you can control how sweet you make the tea just by adding more or less syrup. How are you staying cool this summer?
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Berry Sangria Iced Tea (Starbucks Copycat!)
Ingredients
For the Passion Iced Tea:
- 4 bags of Passion Herbal Tea I used Tazo
- 32 ounces cold water
For The Berry Orange Syrup:
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
To Make One Berry Sangria Iced Tea:
- 1/2 cup passion iced tea
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 ounce berry orange syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- blackberries for garnish
- orange slices cut into quarters for garnish
Instructions
To make the Passion Iced Tea
- Cold Brew Method: Combine tea bags and water in a pitcher and allow to steep in fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Traditional Method: Pour boiling water over tea bags and allow to steep for five minutes. Remove tea bags and allow tea to cool.
- *(Makes 4 cups of tea. To make more or less just use 8 ounces of water to one tea bag)
To Make Berry Orange Syrup
- Combine orange juice, blackberries and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir often to make sure sugar fully dissolves. When sugar has dissolved, reduce heat to as low as it will go and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain to remove berries.
To Make One Berry Sangria Iced Tea:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add 1/2 cup of Passion iced tea, 1/2 cup of apple juice, 1 ounce of blackberry syrup, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, a few blackberries and orange slices. Shake to combine, then pour everything (including ice) into a large glass and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Inspired by Starbucks
HI! I wanted to use this recipe for a baby shower I am giving and was wondering if I just put everything into a pitcher so people can serve themselves–would that work?
Yep, that will work!
I made this and was sooo happy it tastes exactly like the one at Starbucks. I was so sad when they stopped making these. Now I can have it every day !! GREAT RECEIPE !!!!!
So happy you loved it!
for refrigerator storage Could I mix the apple juice and orange/berry syrup together so i just have to add that to the tea and cut down on time and refrigerator space?
Hi Sally – I think that would be just fine!
So does the Berry orange syrup recipe end up being one ounce or can that be used for all 32 oz of tea that is made to have 4 servings?
Hi Abdal, it makes about 1 cup of syrup, so it is enough for at least one 32 ounce pitcher.
Tried the SB Sangria Iced Tea for the first time LOVE IT can’t wait to try this recipe
Yay Glenda! I hope you love it!
I should have said, Martinelli’s SPARKLING apple cider, sorry for the omission.
Kono
After visiting Starbucks and trying their Berry Sangria Tea, I asked the barista to see the ingredients that made their syrup. Their syrup uses raspberries, elderberries, peaches, and blood oranges. Simmered in water and sugar (simple syrup).
I used Martinelli’s apple cider, using your recipe replacing blackberries with raspberries. Spot ON!
Kono
Thanks so much Kono! Great idea to use the sparkling cider to make it sparkling!
Yummy, I made it last night and drinking it this morning at work! LOVE it!! Thank you for posting
Hi Kelso, I am so glad to hear it! Thank you for letting me know!
How do they make it sparkling?
Hi Kenya,
The Sangria Iced Tea I had at Starbucks wasn’t sparkling, so this one isn’t meant to be. But if you want to make it sparkling, I imagine you can just add a dash of club soda or sparkling water to give it bubbles. I hope that helps!
I made this today and I am just enjoying it now. This is tastes EXACTLY like the Starbucks version! A serious win 🙂
Yay! I am so glad to hear that Cammy! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you loved it!
This looks so refreshing, Meghan! I’ve never had this at Starbucks, though I haven’t been there in a while, either! It can get super expensive! That’s crazy – almost $5 for an iced tea! I bet your version can be made for a fraction of the cost and tastes even better 😉 Score! I love coconut water mixed with regular ol’ water and tons of ice to keep cool during the Summer, but I’m going to have to give ice-tea a shot. Pinned, of course 🙂
Ooh, love that idea of mixing coconut water and regular water – sounds refreshing! This drink is pretty new at SB, I think it is a short run for the season. Thank you so much for pinning friend!
Adding coconut milk, just a touch, to this is amazing! I first tried it when a fellow bridesmaid at my sister’s wedding brought one for each of us girls. OMG! Do you know of a way I could make this at home when blackberries are out of season?
Hi Brooke, What a great idea to add coconut milk! I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could use frozen blackberries when they are not in season, or raspberries.
How long will the syrup last or remain good for I should say? Can you make a large batch ahead of time?
Hi Christina! For the syrup, it should be good in the fridge for about a week, (possibly longer, but if you see any evidence of mold throw it out). You can make this ahead of time, I would just wait to add the fruit until the day you are serving it, and add the ice right before serving. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by.
What would the recipe be to make the entire pitcher at once?
Hi Lizz – that depends on the size of your pitcher! Just multiply the recipe by however many cups your pitcher is. For example, if it is an 8 cup pitcher, multiply the recipe by 8.
Couldn’t you make the berry syrup and freeze it into cubes? Then you could thaw them in the fridge or just add them to the tea.
Hi Lindsey! In my experience, freezing syrup doesn’t work very well because the sugar in the syrup won’t freeze. It remains kind of gooey and won’t get solid. You could experiment with it and see if it works out, but it just doesn’t usually for me.
My sister and I went to do some work on our laptops at Starbucks and the barista handed us one of these because someone never came to pick up their mobile order. It was so good I almost had to buy another one to drink on the ride home. Thanks for the tummy copycat recipe–this could be perfect for a lunch party or bbq 🙂
*Yummy. Autocorrect ruins my life at least once a day.
Haha, same thing happens to me ALL THE TIME!
I know, they are irresistible, right!?! Thanks Jessica!