Original post By Homefire Staff
(This recipe is also used for Rose's Lux Potion and is a great rule of thumb for our black tea blends.)
Take a switch to those hot summers, southern style!
The best recipes come from time-tested real life comfort, and there is no greater staple during a scorching southern summer than the sweet relief of a pitcher of ice cold tea. Whether you were a hardworking grownup or an outdoors wild child, that sugary caffeinated blast with a citrus tang was sure to hydrate, energize, and get you back out there.
Straight from Jinx's childhood hot-as-hell Georgia summers, this tea is suh-weet, strong, and in the fridge from June through August.
Is your iced tea getting cloudy? Here is why, and what you can do!
Southern Style Sweet Tea Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Kittens & Kettles' Southern Style Citrus Iced Tea
- 1 cup sugar (or equivalent of other sweetener)
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon or lime
- Fresh mint (optional)
- Pinch of baking soda (optional)
Instructions
- Start by boiling a half gallon of water in a large sauce pan.
- Once the water has boiled, turn off the heat and slowly stir in 1 cup of sugar or equivalent sweetener (more or less to taste, obviously, but I like it sweet) until fully dissolved. There should be no visible crystals.
- Using tea bags, multiple tea balls, or submerging a strainer, steep 2 Tbsp. Southern Style Citrus Iced Tea for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove tea and add half gallon of sweetened tea concentrate to pitcher.
- (Optional) Let your concentrate cool to room temperature.
- Wash and thinly slice citrus, adding slices to pitcher.
- Top off pitcher with cold water and ice to fill pitcher to gallon (or as close as you can get).
- Refrigerate and garnish with fresh mint when cold!
Notes
Sweet tea is an artform in the American South, and we make it with a lot of sugar. Not everyone can or should consume that much sugar, so please adjust the recipe with your favorite sweeteners, or go without, as this is a perfectly delicious iced tea on its own.If your sweet tea is clouding, it won't affect the taste at all, but if you prefer it not to for aesthetic reasons, see our article above on tea clouding.