Our friend and guest blogger Stacie Connerty of The Divine Miss Mommy shares her Southern Sweet Tea recipe, and a few twists on the classic as well.
Sweet Tea has been called the wine of the south and for those of us who live in the south, we wholeheartedly agree. Making Sweet Tea is a rite of passage in many families.
When I first moved to Georgia, I had a professional job in a credit union where I was a loan officer. However, my first duty of the day, seeing as this was an office run by southern women, was to make the sweet tea. Every single day. (Note: someone else made biscuits, another person brought in plum and apple jelly, someone else made pasta salad, etc. We were well fed and never thirsty in this office)
I didn’t start off making the tea because I had to build up trust in these women. They needed to know that I could do it right; just the way their mamas had taught them and this took over a month in their opinion. Sweet tea doesn’t get any more southern than this recipe.
SOUTHERN SWEET TEA RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- Luzianne or Lipton tea bags – For just a simple sweet tea, I use Lipton or Luzianne supermarket black tea in personal or cup size bags.
- Sugar
- Baking soda (optional)
- Garnishes (optional) : Lemons, Watermelon, Mint Sprigs, Raspberries, Oranges
DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring one quart (4 cups) of water in a stock pot to almost a full boil. Add 6-7 tea bags (depending on how strong you want your tea – I use 7) and boil for 3 minutes.
NOTE: Make certain that you have a lid that fits properly and if don’t, use a plate.
STRENGTH OF TEA: For a strong tea, use 7 bags and for a mild tea, use 5. You should definitely experiment to see what you like best.
2. Remove from heat and let tea bags steep in the water for about 12-14 minutes. During the steeping period, make certain to not lift the lid.
3. When finished steeping, lift the lid and remove all tea bags. Then add 1 1/3 cups of sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar fully.
4. Pour into pitcher then add 3 cups of cold water and serve immediately over ice (with lemon if preferred).
5. Refrigerate any leftover tea for up to three days.
Delicious Sweet Tea Variations (pictured here as well):
Watermelon & Mint Sweet Tea
Muddle one small watermelon and 4-6 stalks of mint leaves – strain and pour into bottom of your pitcher before adding tea. Garnish with a stalk of mint leaves and watermelon wedge.
Orange Raspberry Sweet Tea
Add 6 drops of Raspberry Bakery Emulsion (I use this so the color doesn’t change) and the zest of one large orange to your tea pitcher before adding tea. Garnish with an orange peel twist and fresh raspberries. This makes pretty, layered drink.
Bitter tea? Bitter tea is usually a result of burning the tea leaves and overcooking the tea. Consider starting over. Add a pinch of baking soda to combat bitterness in the future.
Tea too sweet? Boil another cup or two of tea and add in in there.
FUN FACTS ABOUT TEA
- The oldest known recipe for sweet iced tea was published in 1879 in a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree in Texas.
- The US is the only country where iced tea is more popular than hot tea.
- Bagged tea was invented in the US in 1904.
- Brewed tea is high in antioxidants, which helps with heart health and to boost the body’s defense against diseases.
