Classic Southern Sweet Tea - Never Bitter
There's nothing better on a hot day in the South than a big glass of Sweet Tea. Super easy to make, you won't find a house south of the Mason-Dixon line that doesn't have all the ingredients on hand and a pitcher in the fridge. You can easily make it to your personal preference of sweetness, strength, and temperature.
Servings 16
Calories 72kcal
Ingredients
- 4 family-size tea bags
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 gallon water
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of water until it just starts to boil. Remove from heat and immediately add the teabags. Let it steep for 20 minutes then remove the tea bags.
- Add sugar to a gallon pitcher and pour the hot tea over the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Once cooled, fill the pitcher with cold water/ice until it reaches the 1 gallon mark.
- Serve with lemon garnish.
Notes
- Don't steep the tea bags for more than 20 minutes.
- Let the concentrated tea cool before adding more water.
- Allow some room for ice to melt so that the tea is not over diluted.
- You can make the tea without sugar and serve unsweetened with simple syrup. To make simple syrup, combine an equal amount of sugar and water and microwave until the sugar has dissolved and it is clear.