Best Real Southern Iced Tea Recipes

SOUTHERN STYLE SWEET TEA

Steps:

• In a pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil; remove from heat Add tea bags and allow to steep for 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of tea you prefer. Remove tea bags and stir sugar into warm tea; continue to stir until completely dissolved. Pour concentrated tea into pitcher and mix in remaining 8 cups water. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into glasses packed with ice cubes, garnish and serve. For best flavor, refrigerate and use within 48 hours.

SOUTHERN SWEET ICED TEA

Steps:

• In a large glass measuring cup, place the tea bags and add the baking soda.
• Pour the boiling water over the tea bags.
• Cover and steep for 15 minutes.
• Take out the tea bags and do not squeeze them.
• Pour the tea mixture into a 2-quart pitcher; add the sugar.
• Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add in the cold water.
• Let cool; chill in the refrigerator and serve over ice.

REAL SOUTHERN SWEET TEA

Steps:

• Bring 1 quart of water room-temperature to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the boiling water into a pitcher or large bowl, add the loose tea, and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, fill a large pitcher (large enough to hold at least 2 quarts of liquid) with the remaining 1 quart room-temperature water.
• Strain the brewed tea into the pitcher containing the room-temperature water. Discard the tea leaves. Set the pitcher aside.
• In a small nonreactive pot, combine the sugar and cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemons and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Strain the lemon-sugar syrup into the pitcher. Discard the lemon slices. Refrigerate the sweet tea until serving time.