When Southerners say “tea,” they mean basic black—as in Lipton or Tetley, not English Breakfast or Earl Grey—iced and sweet. It is the ubiquitous, unofficial drink of the South.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 quarts
Ingredients
Preparation
Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan and remove from the heat. Halve and squeeze 3 lemons, setting aside the juice and reserving the squeezed halves. Add 8 bags black tea, 6 to 8 fresh mint sprigs, the reserved squeezed lemon halves, and 1/2 cup sugar and stir to mix and submerge the mint and tea bags. Cover and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard the bags, mint, and lemon halves. Add 4 more cups water and the reserved lemon juice and stir to mix. Taste for sweetness and add up to 1/4 cup additional sugar to taste, if desired, stirring to mix until the sugar dissolves. Serve cold over ice, garnished with sprigs of mint and wedges of lemon.
