Iced Tea Syrups

It's one of summer's perennial questions: How do you get sugar to dissolve in a cold glass of tea? Stop stirring, and instead sweeten your tea with syrups infused with mint or lemon, flavoring your brew at the same time. For mint, you will need 1/2 cup packed fresh mint; for lemon, the zest and juice of 2 lemons. In a small sauce pan, combine mint leaves or lemon zest and juice with 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil, let the sugar dissolve, and remove the pan from the heat. Let liquid cool; strain through a fine sieve. Use about 4 teaspoons of syrup per tall glass of tea. Syrups will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.