Iced Tea (American South Sweet Tea)

In 1795, the first tea plantations in the United States arrived in South Carolina. Today, there are still a few left in the state. The first sweet tea recipe has been traced back to the cookbook Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree, and was published in 1879. It called for green tea, which was more commonly drunk as iced tea at the time, until World War II when green tea importation was cut off and Americans switched to black tea imported from India. Sweet tea is more than just adding a spoonful of sugar to a glass of iced tea. First off, it’s usually made in large batches and kept chilled in the fridge, ready for an afternoon visitor or an easy cool-down on a hot summer day.

12 individual tea bags, such as; Lipton or Luzianne
1 cup granulated sugar
ice

Garnish:
fresh mint leaves
lemon slices

Boil the water. Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat.

Steep the tea for 5 minutes. Dunk the tea bags a few times in the water to fully hydrate, then leave submerged with the strings hanging over the side of the pot. After 5 minutes, remove the bags and discard.

Add the sugar to the tea. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Pour the tea base into the pitcher. If using multiple pitchers, divide the tea evenly between them.

Top off the pitchers with water. Add 3 more quarts of water to the tea base to make a gallon of sweet tea and stir to combine.

Refrigerate until very cold. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, ideally, overnight.

Serve over ice. Pour the sweet tea into ice-filled glasses. Add a sprig of mint or a slice of lemon to each, if desired.

Makes about 12 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Storage: The sweet tea will keep refrigerated for about a week.
• Stronger Sweet Tea: For stronger tea, add the tea and the sugar at the same time, stir to dissolve the sugar, and then let the tea steep for up to 3 hours. Remove the tea bags and continue with the recipe.
• Sweeter (or Not-So-Sweet) Sweet Tea: As it is, this makes a fairly mild, lightly sweetened tea; if you'd prefer a sweeter tea, stir in extra sugar, ¼ cup at a time, to the full 1-gallon batch just before refrigerating. Stir until dissolved, then refrigerate. You can also add less sugar, if you prefer.
• Arnold Palmers (aka Swamp Water): Mix equal parts lemonade and sweet tea.
• Spiked Sweet Tea: Add a shot of your favourite liquor to the glass, then pour the sweet tea over top. (Bourbon is a Southern favourite.)