Refrigerator Iced Tea

Budget Beverage recipes

4 Tea Bags 6 c. water Sugar Syrup 1 c. water 1 c. sugar

A super-easy way to make that Southern American classic, "sweet tea," such a part of the summertime table. Note: This is a "night before" recipe. Makes approx. 2 quarts (2 liters). Start with a 2-quart pitcher. Place the tea bags in the pitcher. Mix and match your tea bags - a couple Earl Grey plus a couple Raspberry Zinger, or mix green tea with peach. So far I haven't found a combination that doesn't blend harmoniously. (Well, except that echinacea stuff and I just plain don't like it.) Add 6 cups of water. Place in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. The next day, remove the tea bags. You can drink it the way it is, or sweeten it with sugar syrup. To make sugar syrup, place equal amounts of sugar and water in a small saucepan. (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar is pretty sweet; if you like your tea with more edge, cut back on the sugar. Try 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. water.) Heat over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the sugar dissolves into the water completely. Add to the tea pitcher and stir gently. (You'll be near the limit of your 2-quart pitcher if you used the 1 cup-1 cup sugar syrup.) If you don't have access to a stove try heating some water in the microwave and sweetening it to your taste with Karo corn syrup or honey. Let the sticky stuff dissolve in the hot water. Microwave? What microwave? Try just adding some granulated sugar to the tea and stir vigorously. Or serve unsweetened and let folks sweeten by the glass. Delightfully refreshing with a slice of lemon.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Wednesday May 23rd, 2007 and modified on Wednesday May 30th, 2007