Being from the south, I consider myself somewhat of an authority on sweet tea. Actually, I think most southerners would claim an advanced level of knowledge and opinions about the subject of our favorite beverage.
Now, I can’t speak for anyone else, so what you read today is just my philosophy on sweet tea. The first thing to note is that I put a heavy emphasis on the sweet part of sweet tea. I like it with kind of a lot of sugar in it. That being the case, I don’t make it very often because I have a general life rule about not drinking my calories. But when I do make this delicious treat, I make it count by using as much sweetener as I please.
It’s not unusual down here to throw some fun flavors into your sweet tea. Common flavor choices for this are peach, strawberry, and blackberry, but I really like infuse my tea with cranberry and lemon. I’ve made this recipe many times but the only time I’ve ever shared it (until now!was when I verbally gave the recipe on a podcast episode that I was on in April. Now I’m putting it out there for anyone to see and save and make and enjoy!
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In case you doubt how tasty this tea is, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that my oldest daughter likes it and she is very picky so if she gives it an endorsement then you can be confident of its quality. And the best part is that it’s soooo easy to make. Just mix together tea, sugar, cranberry juice, and lemon juice, and voila! It’s perfect for an any day treat or you can garnish it with sliced lemons and/or frozen cranberries to make it festive and party-worthy.
How can such a simple drink be so delicious and refreshing? I don’t know, but it totally is. When I do have a pitcher of this liquid heaven in my fridge I usually enjoy it as an afternoon pick-me-up around 2-3pm and it becomes something I look forward to (snacks are the best!). In the winter time my afternoon treat is usually hot tea or coffee, but during the dog days of summer you can’t beat tea over ice.
Other cold drinks you might like:
Do you like sweet tea? I’d love to hear what your favorite recipe is and where you fall on the sweetness scale (with 1 being no sweetener and 10 being tea syrup). There’s no wrong answer here, unless your number is less than 5. Just kidding! Kind of.
Even though I’m not a fan of unsweetened tea myself, I bet putting some cranberry juice and lemon in it would still be delicious, so if you try that let me know!
- 2 qts brewed tea
- 1 1/2 – 2 c sugar
- 2 c cranberry juice
- 2 lemons
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Brew 2 quarts of iced tea according to package directions. Stir in sugar, cranberry juice, and the juice of one of the lemons. Slice the other lemon and add it to the pitcher. Chill two hours and serve, or serve immedidately over ice.
Feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions about the recipe or just want to chat! I love getting suggestions for new things to try or hearing how your version of a recipe turns out.
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