Sweeties, it's no secret that we love iced tea! Have you ever wondered how iced tea was…well..born? Well y’all, iced tea recipes have been found dating back to the 1870's. Published recipes such as the Buckeye Cookbook and Housekeeping in Old Virginia both actually contain iced tea recipes.
More famously, the most reported iced tea stories came from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair when Richard Blechynden, director of the East India pavilion, became frustrated as he tried to offer samples of hot tea under the oh-so-hot Missouri sun. To help boost the sales for the day, he chilled the tea. This resulted in the most refreshing beverage and was a hit with all in attendance! The rest is sweet history y’all!
Read more about the birth of iced tea here.
We are sharing one of our most beloved Sweet Tea Recipes below!
Watermelon Sweet Tea
Ingredients (Makes 1 half gallon):
2 Southern Breeze Sweet Tea bags
4 cups boiling water
3 cups watermelon juice
1 cup cold water
15 mint leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
Diced watermelon for garnish
Directions:
- Pour boiling water into a half-gallon pitcher over tea bags and mint leaves. Steep for 10 mins and discard only the tea bags.
- Chill in refrigerator. Discard mint leaves after cooling.
- Make 3 cups of watermelon juice using fresh watermelon fruit.
- Mix tea, watermelon juice and lime juice.
- Serve over ice in your favorite glass or Mason jar. Garnish with fresh diced watermelon
Enjoy y’all!