I recently posted a photo on my Instagram feed for my photo-a-day project for Ice Tea Day. I had so many requests for the recipe; I thought I would blog about it as well.

The weather is getting warmer now. We get thirsty and get tired of drinking water. To change things up a bit, I make a big batch of Sweet Tea.

There is nothing like a refreshing glass of Sweet Tea on the porch while watching the afternoon unfold.

For many years, I didn’t understand the popularity of ice tea. It was a pot of tea poured over ice. If you were lucky, you might get a slice or wedge of lemon with it. I didn’t like it at all! It was bitter and usually weak, especially when the ice melted. Because it was cold, adding sugar didn’t work well because it didn’t dissolve in the cold drink, and the ice cubes made it challenging to stir thoroughly.
As I said, I was not fond of it at all.

Then, several years later, I started taking road trips for my vacations. I often drove from Canada to various parts of the south-eastern United States. There, I discovered Sweet Tea! It was a revelation! Wow! It was lovely! Not too sweet and not at all bitter. It is the staple of every good southern meal.

After some trial and error, I finally found the correct combination of ingredients.

Now, go on, make yourself a batch! You will thank me!

Sweet Tea

• 8-2 cup tea bags (Orange Pekoe & Earl Grey are my favourites)
• 16 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• Lemon (slices or wedges)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil & steep in a teapot for 10 minutes. Pour the sugar into a gallon pitcher and add 1 cup of cold water. Stir to mix slightly. Pour the hot tea into the sugar mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 13 cups of cold water to fill the pitcher. Add the lemons to the pitcher or garnish your glass with the lemon slice or wedge.

Note: If you are using a glass pitcher, mix the sugar with 1 cup cold water before adding the hot tea to prevent the pitcher from cracking.

Enjoy!

Connie 😄