Sweet tea
Southern Iced Tea Sweetened While Hot
Sweet tea is strong black tea steeped, sweetened while still hot, diluted with cold water and served over ice. A pinch of bicarbonate keeps it clear and softens the bitterness, according to both sources.
Sweet tea is the drink most tied to the South.
One recipe steeps 6 tea bags in 480 ml of boiling water with a pinch of bicarbonate for 15 minutes, then stirs in 150 g of sugar and 1.4 litres of cold water. The other makes a gallon with 4 to 5 family-size tea bags and 300 to 400 g of sugar.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 480 ml boiling water
- A pinch of bicarbonate of soda
- 6 black tea bags
- 150 g white sugar
- 1.4 litres cold water
- Ice and lemon slices, to serve
Method
- Steep Put the boiling water, bicarbonate and tea bags in a large pot or jug and leave for 15 minutes.
- Sweeten Remove the tea bags without squeezing them. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then add the cold water.
- Chill and serve Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve over ice with lemon slices.
The second source steeps off the boil and sweetens half of the tea in the pitcher first.
Keep chilled and drink within a few days.