Black Cherry Iced Tea - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 quarts water
1 lb fresh black cherries, rinsed and pitted
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 whole star anise
5 black tea bags, steeped in
2 cups water
mint sprig (to garnish)

Preparation

Bring water to boil in a medium-sized pot.
Add cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and star anise.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cherries are almost falling apart.
Turn off heat, mix in black tea, and let stand for 1 hour to cool.
Strain liquid through a fine mesh sieve, mashing the cherries with a wooden spoon to extract more liquid.
Discard solids.
Transfer liquid to a pitcher and refridgerate until ready to serve.