And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. -Genesis 21:19 (KJV)
The heat of summer creates the need for cooling refreshment. In the South, that means sweet tea. Sweet tea is economical, it's easy to make, and it's a crowd pleaser. Here's how I do it.
Perfect Southern Sweet Tea
(makes one gallon)
4 family sized Luzianne Iced Tea bags* (can also use 8 regular sized tea bags)
1-1/3 c. white sugar
In a medium saucepan bring 5 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Pour in white sugar and stir until dissolved. Turn off heat. Add tea bags and set timer to 3 minutes. At 3 minutes lift the tea bags from the water and squeeze them over the water to get all the flavor out of the tea bags. Discard tea bags. Pour tea into gallon pitcher. Add cold water to fill to one gallon capacity.
Serve over ice and with a lemon wedge, if desired.
*Green tea bags also make delicious sweet tea! Use the same amount as regular tea bags.
Linking up with these glorious blogs!
YUMMY!!! I am a southern girl that must have her sweet tea!!! I also use Luzianne Tea.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
Elyse @ Shabby Sweet Tea
You can't make it through summer in Texas without Southern Sweet Tea! Thanks for the nice post.
ReplyDeleteDoes it not taste the same with Lipton? My husband loves sweet tea and we have an entire unopened box of Lipton tea bags.
ReplyDeleteHello! Tea is simply a matter of preference. If your family prefers Lipton then go for it! I just put the brand that I use for the recipe. Thank you for commenting and visiting my blog! :)
DeleteOh, my!! I LOVE sweet tea!! We also are in the midst of a hot, dry spell and tea is one thing that keeps me cool! I love fruity flavors added, too, especially raspberries!! My post today is about the terrible heatwave we've been having, too! I think it's on many of our minds!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Ann @ Christ in the Clouds (http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-soul-thirsts-for-you.html#comments)
Thank you! I left a comment on your site and am your latest blog follower! Hope your weekend is great! (and not so hot!)
DeleteAmen to this! Us southerners love our sweet tea!
ReplyDeleteWe love our sweet tea too!
ReplyDeleteWe also use Luzianne tea, but only 3 family bags per gallon and 1 cup sugar.
Thanks. I will be giving this a try.
ReplyDelete~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
Oh! Girl! We are sweet tea drinkers, too! Thanks for linking up.... :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
-Heather
Stringtown Home
I love sweet tea! We use Luzianne also.
ReplyDeleteMichelle @ My Life Through Food (http://mylifethroughfood.blogspot.com/)
Sweet Tea? OF COURSE i MAKE IT YEAR ROUND. For just the two of us I try to cut the sugar a bit..just enough to take the edge off BUT when our grown up children and the grands come..ITS GOTTA BE THE REAL THING-sweet tea>
ReplyDeleteJonell
Like Gramma' House blog
Make a gallon of it every day. I use only 1/2 c of sugar and for us it's plenty sweet. Kicked the soda my husband and son were addicted too to the curb. We make ours a little different. I place 2 quarts of cold water and the sugar in a gallon container. Heat up 2 quarts of water for the tea bags (I do not boil it) add the 4 bags and steep for 5 min. add to cold water. The heat of the tea is enough to dissolve the sugar which helps keep the sugar from burning (tasting bitter).
ReplyDeleteThat is so great! I love hearing how everyone likes their tea! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI love homemade tea period! Thank you for sharing your recipe at WJIM.
ReplyDelete