Description
A refreshing Southern-style sweet tea infused with a homemade strawberry syrup and a hint of lemon. Perfectly sweet, tangy, and ideal for hot summer days.
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
- 2 cups water (for syrup)
- 1 cup sugar (for syrup)
- 3 cups boiling water
- 3 family-sized tea bags (or 9 regular tea bags)
- 1 cup sugar (for tea)
- 8 cups cold water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 lemon, sliced for garnish
- 6–8 strawberries for garnish
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine sliced strawberries, 2 cups water, and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes until strawberries are very soft and liquid is deep red. Strain into a pitcher, pressing gently to extract syrup, avoiding pulp.
- In a bowl, steep tea bags in 3 cups boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved.
- Pour the sweetened tea into the pitcher with the cooled strawberry syrup. Add 8 cups cold water and lemon juice; stir well.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours until thoroughly chilled.
- Serve over ice, garnished with lemon slices and whole strawberries.
Notes
- Use thawed frozen strawberries if fresh are unavailable.
- Lemon juice adds brightness but can be reduced or omitted to taste.
- Adjust tea strength by changing the number of tea bags or steeping time.
- Store in a sealed pitcher in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
