It just about doesn’t get more Southern than sweet tea. In fact, it’s just about unheard of above the Mason Dixon Line! Ask for sweet tea and they’ll look at you funny! It’s always been a staple in my house, growing up and even today. My one year old has even been known to have a little bit of sweet tea in his sippie cup! Here’s a tried an true recipe that you’ll love…
Ingredients
- Some good ol’ tap water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 3 family size tea bags (I prefer Luzianne)
Directions
1.  Fill a medium-sized pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
2. Â Add the tea bags, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 15Â minutes.
3. In a two-quart pitcher combine 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of lukewarm water.
4. Strain tea from pot into pitcher and fill remainder of pitcher with water. Stir and enjoy over ice.
Variations
Some Southern cooks say add a pinch of baking soda to the water before you add the tea bags to help to prevent bitter tasting tea.
You may also not add all of the water and fill the remainder of the pitcher with ice.
Recipe Card
Sweet Tea
Ingredients
- Some good ol’ tap water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 3 family size tea bags I prefer Luzianne
Instructions
- Fill a medium-sized pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
- Add the tea bags, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 15 minutes.
- In a two-quart pitcher combine 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of lukewarm water.
- Strain tea from pot into pitcher and fill remainder of pitcher with water. Stir and enjoy over ice.
Having the tea bags in boiling water brings out the harsh bitter taste. When I make my tea, I make a gallon at a time and I am the only one to drink it. I like to bring the water to a boil along with the sugar (1-1/4 cups). Once the sugar is dissolved I’ll remove from burner and put in 3 family-sized tea bags, cover, and let steep for an hour or longer. I usually have a plastic gallon jug in the freezer with a quart of ice in it, which I’ll pour the hot tea over. There is nothing more frustrating than having watery tea from pouring hot tea over ice cubes. By pouring the tea over the ice chunk, it cools down and dilutes as you fill the gallon jug up with cold water. I’ll usually use a funnel with the tea bags inside to extract all the tea I can. NEVER squeeze tea bags though.
If ‘trapped’ without sweet tea, ask if they have any simple syrup, usually 1 part sugar to 1 part water boiled together and then cooled slowly.
I love Iced Tea!!! Sounds like you make tea the way my mother-in-law used to make it. She taught me how 40 years ago, but sometime after microwaves came along, I switched to using it instead. So glad the restaurants in the state I live in make “Sweet Tea” now, instead of having to dissolve sugar in cold tea!!! Have a blessed day!!!
I’m not sure how I’d make it without my sweet tea. I can handle it for a few days when traveling, but can’t imagine living somewhere without it. 🙂 Glad you no longer have to.
Sweet tea…..table wine of the South!