Southern sweet tea
Iced black tea sweetened while hot, served by the jug
Sweet tea is the house wine of the South, poured by the jug at every barbecue joint, meat-and-three and Sunday lunch from South Carolina to Texas. Strong black tea is sweetened while hot so the sugar dissolves completely, then cooled and poured over plenty of ice with lemon. A pinch of bicarbonate is an old trick that softens bitterness and keeps it clear. Chef's tip: let the tea cool to room temperature before chilling; putting it straight in the fridge hot makes it go cloudy.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 8 ¼ cups waterdivided
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda
- 6 ½ oz sugar
- 1 lemonsliced
- 1 ⅛ lb ice cubesto serve
- 4 sprigs fresh mintopt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 1 litre of the 4 ¼ cups water to the boil, take it off the heat and add the 8 black tea bags bags and 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda.
5 minStep 2: Steep for 6 minutes, then lift out the bags without squeezing; a common mistake is squeezing them, which releases bitter tannins.
6 minStep 3: Stir in the 6 ½ oz sugar until fully dissolved, then add the remaining cold 4 ¼ cups water.
2 minStep 4: Cool to room temperature, then chill. Serve over 1 ⅛ lb ice cubes with 1 lemon slices and 4 sprigs fresh mint.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does southern sweet tea take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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