Sipping Southern Iced Tea with Friends
{Plus Sweet Tea Recipe}
Some of the sweetest memories I have is sitting around the kitchen table or sitting out on the back deck sipping on some Southern Iced Tea with Friends. So many great conversations and great laughs have come from sitting and taking time to drink a glass of Southern Iced Tea.
There is nothing like a mason jar filled with crushed ice and southern iced tea. The way a mason jar makes the tea taste is like no other. Sipping the Southern Iced tea out of a Mason Jar takes you to a place that is special. A place that is about conversations and sitting for a while with people you love.
What goes into making great Sweat Tea
- Make sure you use good water. If you have filtered water, be sure to use that. If your tap water is not good, then use bottled water. The base of a good cup of Southern Iced Tea is good water.
- Add your sugar into your water before the tea bags and while it is boiling. This ensures the sugar is fully melted and mixed in.
- After your water boils and the sugar is dissolved, put tea bags into the water. Turn the stove eye off and place a lid on the saucepan. Let the bags steep for 5 minutes.
- Fill your tea pitcher with ice. Pour tea syrup over the ice. Fill the remaining with cold water.
- Add a tiny pinch of baking soda to your tea syrup. This gives the tea a smoother taste by neutralizing the Tannins in the black tea.
Sweet tea is like the house wine of the south. – Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias
Friends & Sweet Tea
Just like you take great measures to make that perfect pitcher of Southern Iced Tea, you need to invest in your friendships. Just like using the good water to make the base of tea, you need to build a good foundation for your friendships.
Spend time building that base. Girlfriends are a special gift. Building that friendship takes work. Work that is sweet and rewarding but takes time. Spend time sitting and talking, laughing and sharing life with friends. This is how you build that great base for a lifelong friend. Every woman should have at least these 5 friends.
Recipe for Southern Iced Tea
Ingredients:
- 4 Family Sized Tea Bags. I love Lipton but Luzianne is good too.
- 1 cup of white granulated sugar
- Water (good water)
- Ice
Gather your equipment:
- Saucepan
- 1 Gallon Pitcher
- Long handle slotted spoon
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
- Add sugar and bring water back to a boil then turn off.
- Put tea bags into the water. Make sure they are submerged. Hang the tea tags over the side of the saucepan.
- Let tea steep for 5 minutes.
- Add a pinch of baking soda and stir
- Remove tea bags with a slotted spoon. Gently press the bags over the saucepan.
- Fill the gallon pitcher with ice.
- Pour tea syrup over the ice.
- Fill the pitcher with cold water.
- Stir and serve
Enjoy your tea and sweet friends. The best combination is Southern Iced Tea and sweet friendships.
