My Mama's Cranberry Tea

As long as I've known my mama (26 years and then some), she's been making teas. Mint tea, river water tea, spice tea, and my favorite CRANBERRY tea. She recently told me she could make the stuff in her sleep because she's made it so many times.

I made approximately 3 gallons of it this weekend to take to our annual dirty Santa Christmas party tonight. Each year we go to this party and have a pot luck FEAST. Seriously, we eat ourselves silly...and then we eat dessert...and then we exchange hilarious gifts that often get hidden throughout each others homes during the next year. You never know when you might find a bottle of Colt 45 in your shower on a Tuesday morning...or when a cheesy piece of yard art will lurk at you behind a curtain. It can get really crazy...

I'm planning on having sore abs tomorrow morning from all the laughter.

Sorry to get off the subject...Here's the recipe for my mama's cranberry tea!

Bring 4 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 5 whole cloves to a roaring boil.



Next, turn off heat and add 5 tea bags....(I'm making a double recipe in these photos).


Let tea bags steep for 10-15 minutes. Then strain to get all the cloves, cinnamon, and tea bags out.


Next add 2 cups of cranberry juice.

Then add 4 cups of apple juice.

The higher ratio of apple juice to cranberry juice makes you wonder why it's not called apple tea or cranapple tea. I guess that doesn't sound quite as romantic. So let's stick with CRANBERRY tea.


Serve over ice. Good hot too. Refrigerate.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you what we get from Santa.

Happy Monday!