Iced Tea

The other day a waitress asked if I wanted my ice tea sweetened or unsweetened. I said, “It’s called sweet tea, and, yes, I’ll have some.

There are two traditional iced teas in the United States. The only difference between them is sugar. Southerners swear by their traditional sweet tea and drink it by the gallons.

British cookbooks show us that tea has been served cold since the early 1800s when cold green tea punches were heavily spiked with liquor.

By the middle 1800s, American versions were given patriotic names. Charleston’s St. Cecilia Punch was named for the musical society’s annual Ball, and Savannah’s Chatham Artillery Punch packed a potent punch that really punched.

By World War 1, Americans were buying special tall iced tea glasses, long spoons, and lemon forks. By the 1930s, tall goblets were being sold as “iced tea glasses.”

During World War 2, the major sources of green tea were cut off from the United States, leaving us with tea from British – controlled India, which produces black tea. American came out of the war drinking black tea.

Your choice of ice tea identifies your heritage. Folks above the Mason-Dixon Line dump sugar in at the table, stirring violently to make the crystals dissolve as the ice dilutes the tea.

Georgia folk put fresh mint leaves in the bottom of the pitcher – probably a carry-over from being denied their mint juleps during Prohibition.

No self-respecting gourmet from New Orleans would allow mint in their tea – perhaps a little lemon – Nor would they sweeten their iced tea in advance. Nor would they pour in granulated sugar. They serve theirs unadulterated with homemade sugar syrup on the side. And, no real southerner will go near those artificial fruit flavored concoctions.

“True sweet tea is a sublime syrupy DNA test for family identity. You either belong to this exclusive bloodline or you belong to the carpetbaggers who moved down from the north. No southern hostess of any stature would be caught dead forcing her guests to sweeten her iced tea at the table.

So, if you want to be really southern, here’s the recipe:

Combine 4 cups granulated sugar with 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Tie together 3 black or orange pekoe or Earl Grey standard teabags and place them in the bottom of a heatproof glass or crockery container –plastic and metal can change the flavor.

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil and pour into the pitcher. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Remove the teabags and stir in the sugar syrup.

Never add cold water. It will make the tea cloudy.

Do not dilute the tea in the pitcher with ice. Refrigerate until very cold and then pour it into glasses filled with ice.

Some southerners claim their grannies added 1/8 tsp baking soda to the hot water, claiming it took out any bitter flavor and darkened the color.

By the way, should you be offered a Long Island Ice Tea, Beware! There is not a drop of tea in this insidious pretender known as the 5 WHITES made up of

1 part vodka
1 part tequila
1 part rum
1 part gin
1 part triple sec
1 ½ parts sour mix
and a splash of coca cola that gives it the coloration of tea.