Southern Sweet Tea

For those unfamiliar with this supremely Southern invention, sweet tea is a staple of Southern kitchens. And let me tell you, when they say “sweet” down here they do not lie. Some recipes call for enough sugar to make a spoon stand up on its own. It has been said that properly made Southern Sweet Tea would give people diabetes from just one glass.

One of my favorite local restaurants is renowned for its sweet tea (they call it “Southern table wine.”) and leave a large pitcher of it on every table. If you order unsweetened iced tea they will look at you and say "Ya'll ain't from around here are you?"

One of the problems with iced tea is that it takes a bit of time to prepare, which makes instant gratification tough. When I want a glass I want it now — I don’t have the patience to wait for boiling, steeping, cooling, etc... - and let's face it.. instant teas are just nasty! To solve that problem growing up, Mom always kept a jar (never a pitcher) of sweet tea right next to the Kool-Aid in the refrigerator at all times.

I ran across a delicious commercial concentrate several years ago when I was in the restaurant business and have been determined to reproduce it to fit my new sugar free lifestyle, yet have it pass muster below the Mason-Dixon line. After interviewing hundreds of Southern grandmothers to determine their sweet tea secrets, I have it ready.


Iced Sugar Free Sweet Tea Concentrate

3/4 gallon of water
5 one gallon tea bags or 24 family size tea bags
8 cups Splenda Granular (or equivalent sweetener - see Cook's Notes)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Bring the water to a full rolling boil. Anything less guarantees your tea will be bitter.
Remove from heat and immediately add tea bags.
Cover (off heat) and let stand for 30 minutes.
Remove tea bags and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. (This keeps the tea from clouding and helps preserve it, and does not affect the taste).
Add sweetener while still warm and stir until it dissolves.
Pour in enough additional water to make 1 gallon of tea concentrate.

This concentrate keeps 4 weeks in the refrigerator and freezes very well. I store it in clean, washed milk jugs. It is really so handy to have and lasts a long time.

TO MAKE TEA:
For 1 gallon of tea: Measure 3 cups of iced tea concentrate into a pitcher. Add enough additional water to make 1 gallon of tea and stir.
For 2 quarts of tea: Measure 1 and 1/2 cups iced tea concentrate into a pitcher. Add additional water to make 2 quarts of tea and stir.
For a 16 ounce glass of tea: Put 2-3 tablespoons concentrate into a 16 ounce glass. Fill the glass with water and ice; stir.

Keep unused portions of tea refrigerated. If the tea is too weak or too strong for you add more or less iced tea concentrate to the water.

Cook's Notes: **If you don't like your tea sweet , you can leave out the sweetener entirely. Those Yankees among you without Southern taste buds may want use as little as 1.5 cups sweetener. Please experiment to find your favorite sweetness level.

If you like your tea strong in the Southern style, you can avoid it getting watered down by making sweet tea ice cubes.

If you want it fancy you can use a mixture of Earl Grey plus a small amount of jasmine. I am not a huge fan of fruity teas, but if you are, by all means use them, or add some fruit juice to the finished product - Blackberries or peaches make an excellent addition.

As for me, I keep my iced tea simple with a liberal squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You could also add 1/2 lemonade to make an "Arnold Palmer." And of course there is always the option of turning your soft beverage into a hard one for your summer guests, with the addition of some vodka. Cheers!