Sweet tea

Sweet tea is strongly brewed black tea sweetened generously with sugar while the tea is still hot, then chilled and poured over ice. Amber-coloured, brisk and frankly sweet, it is the everyday table drink of the American South, where it is served by the pitcher at family meals, barbecues and roadside diners. A wedge of lemon is the usual finish, and mint or a splash of peach are common regional touches. Non-alcoholic and caffeinated, it is poured cold all year but belongs above all to the long heat of a Southern summer.