Sweet Tea Ten Ways

In the South, summer means sitting on the porch swing and cooling off with a tall glass of iced tea, more properly known as “sweet tea.” (Because really, is there any other way to drink it? Sorry, Mom!)

When my parents started dating, my father was a frequent dinner guest at my mother’s house.  As a mark of respect, my grandparents always served him a big glass of iced tea.  Every time, he drank it down to the very last sip.

Two years later, after my parents were married, my father finally admitted to his in-laws that he didn’t like iced tea!  “I figured our relationship was irreversible at that point!” he laughs.  All these years later, and my grandparents still tease them about this 🙂

Well, I do love iced tea – only if very sweet! – so I asked some fellow Southerners for their favorite sweet tea recipes.  So brew up a batch, pour a tall glass, and sit back and enjoy!

1. Sarah Dees of Frugal Fun for Boys: I use 2 large sized Lipton tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water. Let the tea steep for 6 minutes, then add 1/3 cup of sugar and enough water to make 2 quarts. It’s not super sweet that way. If you want real Southern tea, add more sugar!!

2. Mackenzie of Cheerios and Lattes shares a Chick-Fil-A Sweet Tea Copycat Recipe.

3. Jaime of Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails: 4 bags of tetley tea, boil in a pan of water and let sit a few minutes. Put one cup of sugar in a gallon pitcher, add the tea to the sugar and mix, then fill with water. Refrigerate and serve when chilled. Always better the next day:-) GA gal style

4. Amy of A Nest for All Seasons teaches us the secret of making sweet tea with no dregs!

5. Samantha of Stir the Wonder: I make sun tea- yum (I’ve learned recently that it can be unsafe, but I’ve never had an issue & I’ve been drinking it since I was a kid.) I use about 6 tea bags & a cup of sugar or so in a large clear/glass tea jar full of water and let it sit in direct sunlight outside for a few hours until brewed. Then chill it in the fridge or drink with ice if I don’t want to wait for it to cool.

6. Randi of Dukes & Duchesses  swears this minty lemonade iced tea is the best sweet tea ever!

7. Melissa of The Happier Homemaker: My Meme’s Sweet Tea: Steep three large teabags in two cups of boiling water for fifteen minutes. Dissolve one cup of sugar and add cold water to make 2 quarts. We’re from Charleston, SC, and they like it super sweet down there!

8. Angie of Country Chic Cottage put a healthy twist on the traditional by creating a sweet great tea recipe.

9. Niki of HomeMadeville: My mom does: 3 family size tea bags in a 1 qt pot, filled with water about 3/4 of the way. Bring water to boil – let boil for a couple of minutes. Put 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar in a gallon tea pitcher, then pour hot tea over sugar (leaving bags in pot). Stir with wooden spoon if you have it. Continue to add cold water into the pot (tea bags still in pot) and then pour into gallon pitcher until full. Stir. Put tea in refrigerator after it has cooled to room temperature. (I use a tad less sugar – 1 & 1/4 cup)

10. Jessie of Play Create Explore: I live in Arkansas, and I was about to write out how I do it, but found this recipe and it’s the exact same thing I do: Amazing Ribs Southern Sweet Tea

Do you love sweet tea?  What’s your favorite summertime drink?