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Southern Sweet Tea

Smooth, strongly brewed black tea sweetened while hot and served over ice with lemon. The house wine of the South.

Time10 min+ 2 hr chill
Serves8
LevelEasy

What you'll need

  • 8 cups water, divided
  • 6 black tea bags
  • A pinch of baking soda
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Lemon slices
  • Ice
  • Fresh mint (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the water

    Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil, then remove from the heat.

  2. Steep

    Add the tea bags and the pinch of baking soda, which mellows the bitterness. Steep for 5 minutes, then lift the bags out without squeezing them.

  3. Sweeten

    Stir the sugar into the hot tea until completely dissolved.

  4. Dilute and chill

    Pour into a pitcher, add the remaining 4 cups of cold water, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

  5. Serve

    Pour over plenty of ice with lemon slices and a sprig of mint, if you like.

Cook's note

Squeezing the tea bags releases tannins that make the tea bitter and cloudy. Just lift them out and let them drain.

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