"New Jack Swing" Southern Sweet Tea

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It's hard to beat a glass of cold sweet tea on a hot day. And while sweet tea may seem like a simple beverage, there's actually an art to making it just right. Here's a Southern sweet tea recipe with a twist that is heavy on the art side. It's true to the Southern way but elevated to craft status.

There's nothing quite like a cold glass of this classic Southern drink on a hot summer day. Down in the deep South sweet tea is a staple. While the recipe for sweet tea may seem simple - just add sugar to iced tea - there are a few tips and tricks that will help you make the perfect pitcher.

True Southerners just call it tea or the house wine of the South. The sweetness is assumed. We are so serious about the sweet that many of us carry sugar packets on us when we travel up North to fix that unsweetened tea!

For classic Southern sweet tea the formula is simply sugar, tea, and water with lemon juice being optional. You just adjust the amount of sugar up or down to suit your personal preference.

Mood Music (music to pair with sweet tea)

This tea recipe breaks from tradition somewhat so it's got that new jack element to it!

Sweet Tea Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup

• Honey
• Thyme
• Piloncillo - It's my secret ingredient. Piloncillo is Mexican brown sugar. It is more complex and cleaner than plain sugar which is why I prefer it for iced tea recipes.
• Cold Water

For the Tea

• Lemon Juice
• Black Tea Bags
• Hot Water

How To Make This Sweet Tea

Make the Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is basically sugar water, i.e. plain sugar dissolved in boiled water. I use piloncillo in place of sugar.

Add water and piloncillo to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until piloncillo cone is fully dissolved. Add the honey and cook for another five minutes.

Remove off heat then allow the thyme to steep in the simple syrup for 10 minutes.

Make the Tea

1. Start with a strong black tea.

Add the tea bags to a large gallon pitcher with hot water for the tea steep. Be sure to leave room in the pitcher for the simple syrup.

2. Sweeten The Tea

Sweeten it to your liking with simple syrup. Taste and adjust as needed

3. Add lemon juice for tartness

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add to the tea. Stir well and either refrigerate the tea or sit it out and allow it to reach room temperature

4. Pour A Glass

Serve tea in a mason jar filled with ice cubes. It's gotta be a mason jar lol! Nah seriously a tall glass is fine too.

Tips and Considerations

Use regular tea bags over tea leaves. No need for any of the fancy stuff. Southern style sweet tea is made with black tea!

When making tea for the family or guests, I use those family-sized tea bags and strive to make about a gallon of sweet tea.

The best sweet tea in my opinion has a nice balance between the tartness and sweetness. Sweet is good, but too much sugar or sweetness and you can't taste the tea.

Add lemon slices to the pitcher of tea.

Some like to add fresh mint to their sweet tea for a more refreshing element.

I like making a simple syrup to sweeten my tea. Liquids tend to dissolve more easily than can sugar.

Start with good quality tea bags. Use black tea for the best flavor and make sure to brew the tea for the full recommended time to give it a strong flavor.

If you prefer to use sugar instead of simple syrup, add the sugar while the tea is still hot so that it dissolves more easily.

Southern tea is not just for hot summer days. It is common to have it at family dinners, especially during the holidays. It's often the beverage of choice.

Tea pairs well with a good comfort meal including recipes like brisket grilled cheese, shrimp and grits, tea rubbed smoked salmon, roasted leeks, and candied bacon.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Making Sweet Tea

Is tap water okay for making traditional Southern sweet tea?

Absolutely! I start with tap water as the source for the boiling water I use for steeping.

Where can I find Piloncillo?

Piloncillo is sold in most grocery stores. I find it in the spice aisle at my grocery store, but some formats may have it in the international or Mexican food section.

For other beverage recipes try these:

Cucumber Melon Soda

Summer Beer Shandy

Red Wine Sangria

Kombucha Tom Collins

Make This Recipe

This tea recipe is perfect for summer get-togethers or any day you're craving something icy cold and sweet. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this delicious drink in no time at all. So why not give it a try? You might just be surprised at how good it is!

If you make this delicious Southern sweet iced tea recipe feel tree to make adjustments to your needs. Also, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

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