Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

There is nothing as quintessential Southern as a glass of refreshing sweet tea. Sweet tea is the go to choice beverage for many Southern get togethers across the lower United States. The simple phrase "Who made this tea?" is an insult that can cut a southerner to the core. It's been utter in hushed and unhushed tones, usually to denounce the level of sweetness. If you can't get the tea right, what can you get right? Southern sweet tea is supposed to be strong and shockingly sweet. Many non southerners are taken aback by the amount of sugar that is found in our sweet tea.

How to make sweet tea. First, your water has to be boiling hot. That seems like a given but there are many who have made this unfortunate mistake. Ever been to the fifth Sunday potluck and got a glass of Starla Mae’s gritty sweet tea? That tea needs to be scalding hot to melt that sugar into syrupy southern goodness. After bringing 6 cups of water to a boil, remove from the heat, and add 1-1/2 cups of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add 4 family sized tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Add your tea base to a pitcher(or “tea jug” where I’m from) and add the remainder of a gallon of water. For best results, let it sit in the fridge before serving over ice.

So that’s it. That’s how you make southern style sweet tea. Easy to get right, easy to get wrong. So if someone asks who made the tea and it was you, well, let’s just say granny may ask you to bring napkins next time.