Chicken Free Classic Sweet Iced Tea
Sweet, refreshing, and deeply satisfying, this classic Southern-style iced tea is the kind of drink that makes a hot afternoon feel instantly more manageable. Strong black tea gets steeped just long enough to develop rich flavor without turning bitter, then the sugar is stirred in while everything is still hot so it dissolves completely and evenly. The result is a smooth, perfectly sweetened concentrate that gets diluted with cold water for a balanced, never-cloying glass. A squeeze of lemon or a sprig of fresh mint at serving takes it from simple to genuinely special. This is the kind of recipe that requires almost no effort but delivers the sort of crowd-pleasing result that has people asking for the recipe all afternoon.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 8 cups water, divided
- 6 black tea bags (such as lipton or luzianne)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
For serving
- ice, for serving
- lemon slices, for serving (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags without squeezing them.
- 2
While the tea is still hot, add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved, about 1 minute.
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