The House Wine of the South

There's nothing like a tall glass of freshly brewed iced tea on a hot summer day.  When I was growing up we were never without a pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator.  We drank it year-round.  Good old Lipton's Iced Tea.  I thought it appropriate to share my recipe for making iced tea at this time of year, so here it is:

ICED TEA

4 regular tea bags (Orange Pekoe)

2 c. fresh cold water

Water and Ice Cubes

Granulated sugar or Simple Syrup

Lemon slices (optional)

Unwrap and carefully slide off any paper attached to the strings of the tea bags; tie the strings together and place in a heat-proof 2-quart pitcher.

Bring 2 cups cold water (always start with fresh cold water) to a rapid boil.  Remove from heat and immediately pour over the tea bags,  Allow tea to steep for 20 minutes or more.  (This process simply forms the “concentrate”.  You can store the mixture in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours).

Remove tea bags, squeeze out excess liquid (being careful to not break open the bags) and discard.  Fill the pitcher with enough water to equal 2-quarts.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled before serving.  Or to serve iced tea immediately, add a dozen or so ice cubes to tea concentrate then fill with water to the 2-quart level.

To serve, pour tea over a generous amount of ice cubes in a tall glass, stirring in desired sweetening and a squeeze of lemon, as desired.  Makes 8 servings.

SIMPLE SYRUP

In a small saucepan, stir together 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is translucent, about 30 seconds.  Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.  Chill up to six months.  Makes about 1 ½ cups.

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