Iced Tea Bar Ideas for a Party

A DIY iced tea bar is the perfect drink station for parties whether it’s brunch, luncheon, showers or cookouts. Let your guests mix their own flavor combinations with fruity juice, optional spirits, and fun garnishes. It’s a great idea for any season and occasion.

iced tea bar set up for party outside, with pitcher and juice bottles and tea bar sign.

This refreshing beverage bar will WOW your guests with it’s variety and customization! Guests can make their own flavored iced tea drinks and cocktails, and the flexibility is what makes this such a great idea for entertaining and fun activity for guests.

Why You’ll Love It

An interactive beverage station is a great way to welcome guests, get them active, and generate conversation.

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iced tea bar set up for a party with pitcher of tea, bottles of juice, glasses and garnishes.

Party Iced Tea Bar

Set up a gorgeous bar with all the accoutrements you need to make delicious flavored tea drinks. An outdoor setting like this one is perfect for a garden party.

Pour cold tea into a serving pitcher, add a simple sign for the table, and offer at least 3 juice varieties so guests have options. Don’t forget the fresh mint or mint simple syrup!

three flip top bottles with 3 different juices in orange, yellow and red, on table outside.

Pour fruit juice into flip top bottles or carafes so guests can help themselves and add their flavor of choice.

PARTY TIP: Purchase a yard or less of tassel trim from the fabric department, and cut the individual tassels off to use as embellishments for drink tags, stir sticks, or napkins.

small white bowls filled with sliced oranges, lemons, and strawberries.

Provide garnishes of fresh fruit in small bowls. Set the bowls in front of the corresponding juice to help indicate each flavor.

colorful Moroccan tea glasses filled with iced tea and garnished with fruit, frozen juice pops and straws.

Use interesting glassware if you’ve got it. Using traditional Moroccan tea glasses for this iced tea bar adds a charming touch.

bouquet of flowers in white vase on gold table outside.

Make a lovely floral centerpiece with less than $30 worth of flowers. I made this one with two bunches of “farmer’s blend” flowers, and one bunch of greenery and it turned out beautiful!

HOSTESS TIP: Use shortcuts like prepared tea and juice, and pour them into pretty containers for serving. Put the time you’ve saved into making chic drink labels embellished with tassels.

decanter bottles of rum and liquor on table in outdoor setting.

Provide some spirits in decanters on the side so guests can make a cocktail if they want. Bourbon and rum are delicious paired with tea. See this bourbon iced tea cocktail for a great recipe.

round gold bowl filled with homemade juice pops on ice.

For an extra thoughtful touch make frozen juice pops. Freeze the juices into ice pop molds up to a week ahead. You can add them to drinks to keep them cold and flavorful as it melts.

Round gold bowl filled with bottles of Snapple, on ice.

Another idea for the party is to provided some individual bottles of Snapple Green Tea for guests to grab as they like. These are delicious and go really well with food.

Checklist

  • Iced Tea. Make my easy homemade recipe a day ahead. Include a lightly sweetened option as well as an unsweetened option. As a substitute you can purchase prepared iced tea from the grocery store.
  • Lemonade. Use prepared lemonade from the soda aisle. I like the brand Country Time, but use your favorite.
  • Orange flavored juice. Orange drinks or soda give your beverage a smooth finish. If you want to use orange juice instead, make sure it’s pulp free.
  • Strawberry flavored juice. Strawberry flavored juice drinks are typically found in the juice aisle and you’re probably more familiar with it as a kids drink.
  • Peach nectar or mango nectar. Find juice nectar in cans in the Mexican section of the international aisle. They add great concentrated flavor.
  • Alcohol. Bourbon is the crowd favorite but dark or spiced rum is also tasty with tea.
  • Specialty liqueurs. Ginger liqueur such as Domaine de Canton, and Elderflower liqueur like St. Germain are terrific additions for more complex taste.
  • Mint simple syrup

Garnishes

  • Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries.
  • Fruit such as sliced oranges, lemons, strawberries, peaches, cucumber, cherries, mangos.
  • Edible flowers to garnish with.
  • Herbs like mint, lavender or thyme.
  • Homemade juice pops.

Supplies & Décor

  • Tea Bar Sign, print or calligraphy
  • Glasses 
  • Pitchers 
  • Flip top bottles or carafes to hold juices
  • Small bowls to hold fruit 
  • Table or bar cart 
  • Bucket of ice and tongs or scoop to grab the ice
  • Paper straws
  • Beverage napkins 
  • Bar spoon to stir
  • Flowers to decorate the bar

PARTY TIP: These ideas are ideal for a summer party, but you can add different flavors for fall and winter, like apple juice, cranberry juice, cinnamon schnapps or Fireball liquor.

How to Make Your Drink

The key is to experiment with different variations and find the right balance for you.

  • Add ice or flavored ice pop to glass; Fill about 3/4 full with unsweetened or mildly sweet tea.
  • Choose a flavor of juice to fill the glass; Leave room for adding rum or bourbon if desired.
  • Garnish with fresh fruit, mint, and serve.

Expert Tips

  • Use black tea family size bags, or substitute with regular size bags.
  • Keep in mind, for Luzianne brand 4 individual tea bags equals 1 family size.
  • For Lipton brand, 3 individual bags equals 1 family size bag.
  • Remember that the juices will add sweetness, so start with unsweetened tea for a lighter drink, or use lightly sweetened tea for more sweetness. It’s up to you!

How to Make Tea

Here’s an easy iced tea recipe you can make ahead. Make a double batch for a crowd, or make one batch sweet and another batch unsweet.

sauce pan with 2 family size tea bags brewing inside.
pitcher of cold tea surrounded by blue glasses filled with ice tea and lemon.
  1. Add 4 cups of water to a medium sauce pan over high heat, and bring to a boil.
  2. Add 2 family size tea bags and remove from heat. Let it steep for 12 minutes.
  3. Remove tea bags and discard. Stir in ¼ to ⅓ cup of sugar if desired and let the tea cool completely.
  4. Add tea to a pitcher and pour in 4 more cups of cold water and stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

FAQ

How do you serve iced tea to guests?

You can serve cold tea in a variety of ways. I love to use pretty pitchers for a small group, and attractive drink dispenser for a larger crowd. If you’re on the go for a tailgate party or potluck you can use gallon-size jugs with a lid to transport it.

What to serve with iced tea at a party?

The beauty of tea is that it goes with almost any meal from lunch to dinner to snacks. It’s great with comfort food, casseroles and traditional southern or midwestern dishes.

More Beverage Bar Ideas

I hope you got some fun ideas for creating your own delicious and tasty iced tea bar! Let me know if you make one by leaving a comment below.

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colorful Moroccan tea glasses filled with iced tea and garnished with fruit, frozen juice pops and straws.

Ice Tea Bar Ideas & Easy Tea Recipe

Yield: 10 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

An iced tea bar for parties with easy iced tea recipe. Let your guests mix their own flavor combinations with fruit juice, optional spirits, and fun garnishes. It’s a great idea for entertaining any season and occasion.

Ingredients

Tea

  • 8 cups cold water, divided
  • 2 family size tea bags, or 8 regular size tea bags
  • ¼ to â…“ cup sugar, optional

Juice

  • Lemonade
  • Orange flavored drink or orange juice
  • Strawberry flavored drink
  • Peach nectar

Alcohol Optional

  • Bourbon
  • Rum, dark or light
  • Spiced rum

Garnish

  • Sliced oranges
  • Sliced lemons
  • Strawberries
  • Sliced peaches
  • Fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Place 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add tea bags and remove from heat.
  2. Let it steep for 12 minutes and then remove and discard the tea bags.
  3. Add sugar if desired and stir until completely dissolved. 
  4. Let tea cool completely and then add 4 more cups of cold water and stir to mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  5. To set the bar up, add juices to bottles or carafes.
  6. Put fruit in bowls next to coordinating juice flavors.
  7. Add liquor to decanter bottles.
  8. Fill an ice bucket with ice and add tongs or a scoop.
  9. Let guests create their own flavor combinations by filling the glass about 3/4 full with tea and topping with fruit juice and optional alcohol.

Did you make this recipe?

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6 Comments

  1. How absolutely lovely. The colour scheme and floral arrangements offer such a lovely pop of brightness that somehow hints toward both summer and the coming autumn season. And the table setting compliments it perfectly! Thanks for sharing this!

    1. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Mary. I just love the transition from summer to fall! 🙂

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