The Best Southern Sweet Iced Tea
Classic Southern sweet tea made with black tea and sweetened while it is still hot, so the sugar melts right in for a smooth, golden pitcher of iced tea. This easy recipe makes one gallon, enough for about 12 tall glasses over ice.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 3 pitcher sized black tea bags or 10-12 regular-sized tea bags
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- fresh mint optional; choose only one garnish
- lemon optional; choose only one garnish
- peach slices optional; choose only one garnish
- raspberries optional; choose only one garnish
Instructions
- Bring half of the water up to a boil over high heat. Once it has reached a rolling boil (constant big bubbles), remove the pot from the heat and add in the tea bags and baking soda. Allow tea to steep for 5-6 minutes, but no longer.
- After 6 minutes, carefully remove the tea bags from the pot without squeezing the liquid from the bags. Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add the remaining cold water to the tea mixture and pour it into a pitcher.
- Pour tea over ice in a tall glass. Add mint leaves or sliced lemons, as desired.
Video
Notes
Keep the pitcher covered in the fridge and enjoy it within 3 days for the freshest flavor.
Pour the tea over ice in each glass rather than adding ice to the pitcher, so it never gets watered down.
Lemon and fruit slices left in the pitcher overnight can make the tea taste bitter, so add them to each glass when serving instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 25g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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