Sweet tea — strong black tea brewed hot, sweetened heavily with sugar while still hot (so the sugar dissolves completely), then chilled and served over ice — is the default beverage of the American South and the most consumed non-water drink in the region. The "sweet" is not a modifier — in the South, "tea" means sweet tea. If you want unsweetened tea, you ask for "unsweet." The sugar quantity is substantial: 1-1.5 cups of sugar per gallon of brewed tea is the standard range, producing a drink that is simultaneously bracing (the tannins) and sweet (the sugar) in a combination that is as refreshing in the Southern heat as cold beer. The sweet tea tradition is inseparable from Southern hospitality — offering a guest a glass of sweet tea is the first act of welcome.
Strong-brewed black tea (Luzianne and Tetley are the Southern standards; Lipton is acceptable), sweetened with white granulated sugar dissolved while the tea is still hot, then cooled and served over a full glass of ice. The colour should be dark amber, clear (not cloudy — cloudiness indicates the tea was cooled too quickly or brewed too long). The sweetness should be pronounced but not cloying — the tea's tannin bitterness should still be detectable beneath the sugar. The ice should be generous — the dilution as the ice melts is part of the intended flavour arc.
1) Dissolve the sugar while the tea is hot — sugar will not dissolve completely in cold tea, producing a gritty, unevenly sweet drink. This is the fundamental rule that separates sweet tea from "tea with sugar." 2) Brew strong — the ice dilutes. The tea base should be stronger than you'd drink hot. 3) Use a large quantity of ice — the glass should be more ice than liquid at the moment of serving.
The "house wine of the South" — Craig Claiborne's phrase, and the one that most accurately describes sweet tea's position in Southern culture. Arnold Palmer — half sweet tea, half lemonade — is the crossover drink named for the golfer who ordered it regularly.
Adding sugar to cold tea — it doesn't dissolve properly. Brewing weak tea — the ice dilution leaves you with sweet water. Clouding — caused by tannin precipitation when hot tea is cooled too rapidly; cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
John Egerton — Southern Food; John T. Edge — Southern Foodways Alliance