Cold Beverages Recipe
Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Coke Zero, raspberry sweet tea or iced tea. Free refills.
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Frequently paired with
The best thing to pair and share with COLD BEVERAGES
Ingredients
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Carbonated Sodas (per pitcher)
Iced Teas (yields ~2 liters each)
Service & Extras
Method
Carbonated Sodas (ready to serve)
Chill and serve
Keep all unopened 2‑liter bottles refrigerated until ready to serve. When refilling cups or pitchers, open bottles just before pouring to preserve carbonation. Fill a cup 2/3 with ice, pour desired soda, and serve with a straw. Maintain free refills by keeping spare chilled bottles on hand and replacing empties immediately.
Classic Iced Tea (yields ~2 liters / 8 cups)
Brew strong tea
Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add 4 black tea bags. Steep 8 minutes for a robust flavor (longer if you prefer stronger). Remove tea bags, squeezing gently against the pot to extract flavor; discard bags.
Sweeten (optional)
While tea is still hot, stir in 1.5 tablespoons of granulated sugar per 4 cups of brewed tea if making sweet tea (adjust sweetness to taste). Stir until dissolved. For even mixing, you may use an equal‑parts simple syrup (see optional simple syrup direction).
Cool and dilute
Pour the brewed tea into a pitcher and add 4 cups of cold water to bring the volume to ~8 cups and to cool it down. Refrigerate until chilled (at least 1 hour) or until ready to serve.
Serve
To serve, fill a cup 2/3 with ice, pour tea over ice, garnish with a lemon slice if desired. Offer free refills from the chilled pitcher.
Raspberry Sweet Tea (yields ~2 liters / 8 cups)
Make raspberry infusion
In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup fresh raspberries and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and mash the raspberries with a spoon to release juices. Simmer 3–4 minutes until berries are soft and liquid is fragrant. Strain the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing solids to extract as much juice as possible; discard seeds/solids.
Brew tea base
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat and steep 4 black tea bags for 8 minutes. Remove tea bags and while tea is hot, stir in 1.5 tablespoons granulated sugar (or 1.5 tablespoons of simple syrup) and the reserved raspberry juice. Taste and add up to an additional 1.5 tablespoons sugar (total ~3 tbs) if you prefer sweeter tea. Stir until dissolved.
Combine and chill
Transfer the raspberry sweet tea to a pitcher and add 4 cups cold water to dilute and cool. Refrigerate until well chilled (at least 1 hour). Just before serving, gently stir and add a handful of fresh raspberries to the pitcher for color and mild flavor.
Serve
Fill a cup 2/3 with ice, pour raspberry sweet tea over ice, garnish with a lemon slice and a raspberry if available. Keep pitcher refrigerated and offer free refills.
Simple Syrup (optional, 1 cup syrup)
Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a low simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and cool. Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Use 1 tablespoon or more to sweeten tea to taste; simple syrup blends easier into cold beverages than granulated sugar.
Service & Refill Routine
Keep extra chilled bottles of soda and additional pitchers of iced tea in the refrigerator for quick refills. Replenish ice regularly and refresh pitchers if tea becomes flat or diluted. Clean and refill service pitchers between batches. Provide appropriate utensils (ice scoop, stirring spoon) and labeled pitchers so guests can self‑serve or staff can offer free refills quickly.