The Dinner Drink That's Martha Stewart's Favorite (And For Good Reason)

Cookbook author and lifestyle icon Martha Stewart is a treasure trove of great advice, not just when it comes to recipes, but also for hosting, home decor, and general lifestyle choices. Therefore, when the foodies at Daily Meal got a chance for an exclusive interview with Martha Stewart around the launch of her 100th cookbook, they asked not just about her favorite recipes, but also her garden, her holiday plans, and more. A particularly interesting nugget of information was the culinary queen's long-standing connection with tea and the myriad ways she slips (or should we say sips) it in her daily routine. From a day-long refresher to a fancy dinner drink that looks good in a goblet, iced black tea is one of her top beverage choices.

While she enjoys sipping unsweetened iced black tea throughout the day, typically a bottle of Pure Leaf iced she affectionately refers to as "Martha's little helper," the culinary queen also turns the beverage into a sophisticated evening libation. In the interview with Daily Meal, Martha Stewart said "I often use it [for] cocktail time. Last night I had it with dinner because I don't drink a lot of alcoholic beverages. It is very refreshing and it looks good in a goblet or it looks good in the bottle that it comes in."

Martha Stewart's ad campaign with her go-to iced tea brand, Pure Leaf, draws attention to her fondness for the beverage. While her business chops are undeniably good, this tie-up goes deeper because the culinary icon has a history with tea going back to her childhood. "I drank tea from the time I was a young child," Stewart revealed in the interview. She now uses it to stay hydrated throughout the day. While Pure Leaf unsweetened black tea contains citric acid, Stewart likes to enliven it with a healthy dose of lemon. A classic iced black tea with lemon, just like many of Martha Stewart's favorite recipes, is a timeless choice that will never go out of style. 

Black tea, a beverage rich in immune-supporting antioxidants, can potentially support gut health and good digestion. It is one of the many healthy diet routines Martha Stewart follows, which compliments her healthy daily breakfast routine that is replete with fresh green juice and avocado toast.

While sipping it in nice glassware over ice is how Stewart enjoys drinking it around dinnertime, she also likes having it in a portable bottle when she's on the move. "I really do find iced tea extremely refreshing, and to have it pre-made in my fridge, easy access, I can just carry this little thing in my car, it is a delight," she said. Like the simple classics that constitute Martha Stewart's favorite foods to travel with, iced black tea is easy to carry, healthy, and, like most of her advice, practical yet refined.

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