Sweet Tea...

One wonderful thing the country has learned from the south is what a hot, summer day calls for is a tall glass of iced sweet tea. It seems like all restaurants and even McDonald's has caught onto this icy taste of the south. Sweet Tea is a drink all its own. There is iced tea and then sweet tea. Two very separate drinks. Iced tea is brewed unsweetened and then served with the option of adding whatever you like, maybe a little sugar or artificial sweetener, some lemon or berries or a sprig of mint. It is a have it your way drink. Then there is Sweet Tea, which next to Dr. Pepper is one of the favorite beverages of the south. It is my favorite for sure. Cool, refreshing and sweet! Making sweet tea is simple with just three ingredients. Water, tea bags and pure white cane sugar. In a pot on the stove place 2 cups of cold water, 6 tea bags with tags removed, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat when it comes to the boil and let sit to steep for around 10 minutes till it is good and deep colored. Remove your tea bags and squeeze those little bags into the brown water so you don't waste a drop of the liquid gold. Now, while the tea is still warm in the pan add 1 cup (or even more to your sweet taste) of cane sugar and stir to dissolve. I know you are thinking that is a lot of sugar but remember that is the idea. When the sugar is dissolved pour the warm tea into the quart pitcher, and with a metal spoon standing in the tea to keep the pitcher from breaking, fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water. Stir and serve over a lot of ice in a tall glass. Mmmm, cold, sweet, delicious, the nectar of the south.