How can you tell your in the south? Simple. Go to a drive through or restaurant and ask for some sweet tea. If they have it on the menu chances are your in the south. An authentic sweet tea is sugar added to black or green tea. Some additional flavors that are common to add include lemon, peach, raspberry and mint. All are served on ice or poured ice cold. If the sweet tea is as sweet or sweeter then coca cola then you know it’s real sweet tea. If it’s not then it’s just plain old tea – not Southern sweet tea.
1st Published Sweet Tea Recipe: Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree
Sweet tea became popular during World War II and was often mixed with hard liquor, mint and cream.
The south has a special love for sweet tea because of the high affinity for hospitality, social events and friendly gatherings that most often take place in the hot and humid summer time when an icy cold drink that is both refreshing, caffeinated and sweet brings a special kind of relief.
How Sweet Should Southern Sweet Tea Be?
The voting poll is out but our guess is somewhere between 2 and 3 cups per gallon of tea here in the south.
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Ingredients
3 family size black or green tea bags
2-3 cups sugar
1 gallon water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Boil ½ gallon of the water.
Once water comes to a roiling boil, pour into one gallon pitcher.
Add 3 tea bags and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (you don’t need to stir).
Set your kitchen timer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, take out tea bags.
Add sugar and stir.
Add the other ½ gallon of cold water to the pitcher and stir again.
Cool in fridge for several hours.
Recipe from The Country Cook
