Blackberry Sweet Tea

 
Shake your thirst with an inviting glass of Blackberry Sweet Tea. For the garnish, cut desired amount of wooden skewers into 5-inch lengths; then place fresh blackberries on skewers.

Ingredients

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed $

1 1/4 cups sugar $

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Pinch of baking soda

4 cups boiling water $

2 family-size tea bags

2 1/2 cups cold water

Garnish: fresh blackberries $

Preparation

1. Combine blackberries and sugar in a large container, and crush with a wooden spoon; stir in mint and baking soda.
2. Pour 4 cups boiling water over tea bags; cover and steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags.
3. Pour tea over blackberry mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Pour tea through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding solids. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill 1 hour. Garnish, if desired.