Sweet tea is a form of iced tea in which sugar or some other form of sweetener is added to the hot water before brewing, while brewing the tea, or post-brewing, but before the beverage is chilled and served. This especially sweet variation of tea enjoys most of its popularity in the Southern United States, though bottled iced teas labeled "Southern Style" or "Extra-sweet Southern Style" appear in refrigerated cases throughout the country.
I'd have to say that most iced tea served in Canada is made in the sweet tea tradition. I remember as a child taking a family trip to the Finger Lakes area of New York and ordering iced tea. My only previous exposure to iced tea would have been the Nestea powdered stuff, and my first sip shocked me. I tried stirring a packet of sugar into the bitter drink but to no avail. Those little crystals just whirled around in the icy chill. Fast forward a dozen or so years, and as a server in Toronto, I'd see many American customers absolutely disgusted by the syrup-y concoction our restaurants offer as iced tea. Most of these tourists must not have been from the south!
The oldest known recipe for sweet ice tea was published in 1879 in a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree, who was born in Texas. The recipe called for green tea. In fact, most sweet tea consumed during this period was green tea. However, during World War II, the major sources of green tea were cut off from the United States, leaving them with tea almost exclusively from British-controlled India which produced black tea. Americans came out of the war drinking predominantly black tea.
Most sweet tea recipes are very simple, requiring you to do just as the definition of sweet tea above suggests. Here is one, from Alton Brown of the Food Network, that is just abit different, but sounds yummy. He suggests adding a simple sugar syrup, rather than sugar, and I do that too, in my own iced tea - it adds a certain richness. My syrup is not as sweet as he recommends - for one pitcher of iced tea, I use 1/2 c water and dissolve 1/3 c sugar in it. Experiment and see what you like the best!
Sweet Tea
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Level: Easy
- Serves: 8 to 10 servings
- Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
Ingredients
- 1-ounce loose black tea
- 1 quart hot water
- 1 quart room temperature water
Simple Syrup:
- 5 cups sugar
- 3 cups cold water
Directions
Infuse loose tea into hot water for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain tea into room temperature water. Sweeten with simple syrup if desired.
For simple syrup, in a small non-reactive pot combine 5 cups of sugar and 3 cups of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil and add 6 sliced lemons and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes and strain.
