Southern Sweet Ice Tea Recipe

My girlfriend called me up one Sunday afternoon and said " How do you make sweet tea?" I laughed and said "girl bye!" and hung up the phone. Come to find out she was dead serious.

 I guess if you aren't from the south and never had a real glass of southern sweet ice tea then you probably wouldn't know how to make it, huh? We grew up drinking this stuff with almost every meal. My great-grandmother use to brew her tea bags out in the sun and patiently let mother nature do her thang.

Now, while that sounds all lovely and earthy....I need gratification as quickly as possible. I'm going to show you how to make a SWEET, cold glass of southern sweet ice tea quick and easy.

Southern Sweet Ice Tea

Ingredients:

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  2 cups. Sugar
  
  
  
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  1/3 teaspoon baking soda
  
  
  
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  3 Family Size tea bags
  
  
  
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  Cold Water
  
  
  
  

Step 1: Pour 3 cups of cold water into a microwave-safe bowl.

Step 2: Add 1/3t. of baking soda. Don't worry you won't be able to taste this in your tea. It just keeps the tea nice, smooth and clear and keeps it from having that weird after-taste that tea can sometimes have.

Step 3: Now give it a lil stir just to dissolve the baking soda.

Step 4: Place the bowl into the microwave and heat for about 15 minutes or until it starts to boil.

Step 5: Remove the bowl from the microwave. It's gonna be HOT! Be sure to use a pot holder. You don't wanna burn those cute lil fangas (that's how my family in Elberton, GA says "fingers")

Step 6: Place 3 Family-Size tea bags into the hot water and let them seep for 15 minutes. Resist the urge to dip them in and out of the water (I don't know why I like to do that).

Step 7: After they are done seeping, lift them out and throw the bags away. I better not catch you squeezing those tea bags to get all the water out "YOU'LL RUIN THAT TEA!" my grandmother use to say.

Step 8: Pour 1 cup of sugar into the bowl

Step 9: Stir gently until sugar is dissolved.

Step 10: Pour tea mixture into a 1-gallon pitcher.

Step 11: Pour in 1 cup of sugar and stir.

Step 12: Now fill the pitcher all the way to the top with really cold water, stir as it fills.

That's it!! Place pitcher in the frige for 30 minutes to chill or if you have to have some now, fill a cup with ice cubes, pour and enjoy! I like to place it in the freezer so that it gets a lil slushy, but not frozen. Love it!

Tips* There are TONS of different flavors of tea out there. I like Peach and Raspberry. Also try adding some lemon slices to add a lil zing to it! If you can't handle the sweetest, just pour a little out and add more water.

Ahhhh...the sweet taste of the south!!