Best 6 Real Southern Iced Tea Recipes

SOUTHERN STYLE SWEET TEA

Steps:

• In a pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil; remove from heat Add tea bags and allow to steep for 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of tea you prefer. Remove tea bags and stir sugar into warm tea; continue to stir until completely dissolved. Pour concentrated tea into pitcher and mix in remaining 8 cups water. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into glasses packed with ice cubes, garnish and serve. For best flavor, refrigerate and use within 48 hours.

PERFECT ICED TEA

Steps:

• Hot-Brewed:
• Bring 8 cups water to a simmer; remove from the heat and add 3 tablespoons loose tea or 6 tea bags. Let steep about 4 minutes, until it's the strength you like. Strain loose tea with a fine-mesh sieve or remove the tea bags. Let cool, then transfer to a pitcher, cover and refrigerate.
• Cold-Brewed:
• Combine 8 cups cold water and 6 tablespoons loose tea or 10 tea bags in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 15 to 36 hours, until it's the strength you like. Strain loose tea with a fine-mesh sieve or remove the tea bags.
• Sweet Teas:
• Combine 3/4 cup each sugar and water in a saucepan and add 1 infuser, if desired. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the infused syrup through a fine-mesh sieve (you'll get about 1 cup).
• Orange Add 6 strips zest
• Blackberries 1 cup
• Cinnamon 2 sticks
• Lavender 3 tablespoons dried
• Vanilla 1 halved bean
• Mint 3 sprigs
• Ginger 1 cup sliced
• Lemon 8 strips zest
• Nectarine 1 cup chopped
• Cucumber 2 cups chopped

REAL SOUTHERN ICED TEA

Steps:

• 1. In a saucepan, stir sugar into the 1 quart boiling water until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and place tea bags into this sugar syrup mixture. Allow to steep 5-7 minutes.
• 2. Pour cold water and about 2 cups of ice cubes into a 2 1/2 quart serving pitcher. SLOWLY pour hot tea mixture into the cold water. Stir until ice melts and add lemon slices or mint leaves if desired. Serve in tall glasses over ice cubes.
• 3. All tastes are different. People like sweet tea made with as little as 1/2 cup of sugar, up to a cup and a half - we prefer 3/4 to 1 cup sugar per half gallon. Try different mixtures and make it your own.

SOUTHERN SWEET ICED TEA

Steps:

• In a large glass measuring cup, place the tea bags and add the baking soda.
• Pour the boiling water over the tea bags.
• Cover and steep for 15 minutes.
• Take out the tea bags and do not squeeze them.
• Pour the tea mixture into a 2-quart pitcher; add the sugar.
• Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add in the cold water.
• Let cool; chill in the refrigerator and serve over ice.

REAL SOUTHERN SWEET TEA

Steps:

• Bring 1 quart of water room-temperature to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the boiling water into a pitcher or large bowl, add the loose tea, and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, fill a large pitcher (large enough to hold at least 2 quarts of liquid) with the remaining 1 quart room-temperature water.
• Strain the brewed tea into the pitcher containing the room-temperature water. Discard the tea leaves. Set the pitcher aside.
• In a small nonreactive pot, combine the sugar and cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemons and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Strain the lemon-sugar syrup into the pitcher. Discard the lemon slices. Refrigerate the sweet tea until serving time.

SOUTHERN STYLE SWEET ICED TEA

Steps:

• Boil about 8 cups water.
• Add 3 family (large) size tea bags and steep for 3-5 minutes. You can also use 8 small regular sized tea bags.
• Mix concentrated hot tea with 1 3/4 cup sugar and stir well in tea pitcher.
• Add cold water until pitcher is full and stir to combine.
• Serve over ice with a garnish of lemon or raspberry.
• *Tip pour some in an ice cube tray and freeze. Keep the pitcher cold in the refrigerator and serve with tea ice cubes to prevent your tea from getting watery on a hot day. :).