✔ Updated · rebuilt as hibiscus tea concentrate shaken with lemonade, caffeine facts and sweetness guide
This copycat Starbucks passion tea lemonade is ruby-red hibiscus tea shaken half and half with lemonade over ice. It's tart, fruity, caffeine-free and costs a fraction of the drive-thru version.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Brew the tea double strength. The ice and lemonade dilute it, so a weak brew tastes like pink water by the second sip.
Why You'll Love This Copycat
- Caffeine-free, so it's an easy afternoon or after-school drink.
- Sweetness your way, from barely sweet to drive-thru sweet, one tablespoon at a time.
- Batch-friendly, the tea concentrate keeps for days in the fridge.
What Is Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade?
On the Starbucks menu it's called the Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade. It's a fruity hibiscus herbal tea shaken with lemonade and ice, which turns it that bright magenta color.
Because it's an herbal tea, there's no caffeine at all. My test for any copycat is whether it tastes like the original and whether a home cook can make it without fuss. This one is just brewing, chilling and shaking.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Pick a hibiscus-forward tea. The Starbucks drink uses a passion-style herbal blend built on hibiscus, lemongrass and apple. Any tea where hibiscus is the first ingredient gets you that tart, berry-like flavor and deep color.
- Shake it, don't stir it. Shaking with ice chills the drink fast and gives it that light, frothy top you get at the counter.
- Start with less syrup. Store-bought lemonade is already sweet. I add 1 tablespoon, taste, then decide. Unsweetened, it's bright and tart, which I actually prefer on a hot day.
- Make tea ice cubes. Freeze leftover concentrate in an ice cube tray. They keep the last sip as strong as the first.
- Keep a jar ready. I keep a bottle of the concentrate in the fridge door all summer. It lasts up to 5 days, so a glass is never more than a shake away.
Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade (Copycat)
4
drinks10
minutes5
minutes100
kcal1
hour15
minutesA copycat-style take on the Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade: strong, caffeine-free hibiscus herbal tea shaken with equal parts lemonade, simple syrup and ice. Makes 4 drinks of about 16 ounces.
Ingredients
- For the Tea Concentrate
4 hibiscus herbal tea bags (a passion-style blend with hibiscus, lemongrass and apple)
2 cups boiling water
- For the Simple Syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
- For Each Drink (x4)
1/2 cup chilled tea concentrate
1/2 cup lemonade, chilled
1 to 2 tablespoons simple syrup, to taste
1 cup ice
1 lemon slice, to garnish (optional)
Directions
- Make Ahead
- Pour the boiling water over the tea bags in a heatproof jug and steep for 6 to 7 minutes. Squeeze the bags and remove them. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- For the simple syrup, heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Cool. It keeps in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Shake and Serve
- For each drink, add 1/2 cup tea concentrate, 1/2 cup lemonade and 1 to 2 tablespoons simple syrup to a cocktail shaker or large lidded jar.
- Add the ice, seal and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker feels frosty.
- Pour everything, ice and all, into a tall glass. Add a lemon slice and serve right away.
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Easy Variations
- Pitcher for a crowd: mix 2 cups concentrate, 2 cups lemonade and 1/4 cup simple syrup in a pitcher, and pour over ice-filled glasses.
- Sparkling: use sparkling lemonade, or top each glass with a splash of club soda after shaking.
- Peach or mango: add 1 tablespoon fruit syrup or 2 tablespoons fruit puree to the shaker.
- Black tea version: swap the hibiscus for black tea if you want caffeine.
More Starbucks Copycats
Love fruity iced drinks? Try my copycat Starbucks Pink Drink and Violet Drink, or go classic with Starbucks iced coffee. For a Southern-style pitcher, there's McDonald's sweet tea. Browse all my Starbucks recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Starbucks passion tea lemonade have caffeine?
No. Passion Tango is an herbal tea made mostly from hibiscus, lemongrass and apple, with no black or green tea, so it's naturally caffeine-free. That makes this copycat a good pick for kids and evenings.
What is in the Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade?
It's Passion Tango herbal tea shaken with lemonade and ice. It comes sweetened unless you ask for it unsweetened. At home, equal parts strong hibiscus tea and lemonade plus a little simple syrup gives you the same tart, fruity drink.
What tea can I use instead of Passion Tango?
Any herbal tea where hibiscus is the main ingredient works, such as a hibiscus, berry or zinger-style blend. You can also steep 2 tablespoons of dried hibiscus flowers in 2 cups boiling water for 7 minutes and strain.
How do you make it less sweet?
Skip the simple syrup entirely, or use unsweetened tea with a tart lemonade. You can also swap half the lemonade for sparkling water and a squeeze of fresh lemon. The drink stays bright and fruity with far less sugar.
How long does the tea concentrate keep?
Keep the cooled tea concentrate covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Mix it with lemonade only when you're ready to drink, because the mixed drink tastes best the same day. Simple syrup keeps for about 1 month in the fridge.
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