Those of us who grew up within spittin’ distance of Louisiana know that unsweetened iced tea is practically un-American. Furthermore, a family get-together in Texas just isn’t right without a big, fat, sweating pitcher of sweet iced tea. So here’s my latest, most favorite iced tea recipe, inspired (ironically) by a vendor at New York City’s biggest farmers’ market—the Union Square Greenmarket. I discovered it on a broiling August afternoon after buying a paper-cupful for one dollar. It was beyond refreshing, with a hint of mint, a kiss of citrus, and just the right touch of New England maple syrup. Naturally, I substitute Texas honey for my version. My mother always made iced tea the old-fashioned way, by boiling water, steeping the tea, and cooling it off with loads of ice. But my coauthor’s mother, Patricia Oresman, gave me a better idea. She used to make sun tea by leaving a pitcher full of water and tea bags in the sun for several hours. One day she put the tea bags in a pitcher full of water but never did get around to setting it out on her sunny backyard porch. She returned to the kitchen a few hours later to find perfectly brewed no-sun sun tea. Now she makes kitchen-counter iced tea year-round, no solar energy needed. How long does she let the tea bags steep? “I let it sit until it gets the color I think it should be,” she says.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 8 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a large pitcher with the 8 cups water. Submerge 8 tea bags in the water. Twist the tea bag strings several times to hold them together and let the paper ends dangle over the outside edge of the pitcher for easy retrieval later. Let the tea bags steep until the tea tastes sufficiently strong, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the citrus juices, honey, and mint. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in glasses of your choice with plenty of ice.
tip
Step 2
Hate watery iced tea, a casualty caused by melting ice cubes that dilute the tea? Make an extra half batch of sweetened tea and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once cubes are completely frozen, punch them out, stow them in plastic bags, and store them in the freezer. They’ll be ready to keep your iced tea cold and strong whenever you need them.
