Summer Sun Tea

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My brother and I spent summers in Tennessee with our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Some of my fondest memories are the things we did and the foods we ate during our summer visits. You were guaranteed to open my grandmother’s refrigerator and find a glass pitcher of sun tea and a glass pitcher of water. Both were consumed by anyone who paid my grandmother a visit during the hot summer days.

Every time I make sun tea, I think of her. The process for sun tea is so simple, yet so satisfying. I love that she passed this summer tradition down to me.

The beauty of sun tea is that you can play around with the flavors. I am a sun tea purist and always use black tea, but I love adding different fruit or making flavorful simple syrups to sweeten the tea. Think of the summer flavors you like to drink and make your summer sun tea accordingly!

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Summer Sun Tea

The process for sun tea is so simple, yet so satisfying, and you can play around with the flavors. Think of the summer flavors you like to drink and make your summer sun tea accordingly!

Ingredients

The Tea

• 1-gallon water
• 4-6 black tea bags
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 cup fresh fruit such as peaches, mango, raspberries, nectarines (optional)

Simple Syrup

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 lemon zested & juiced

Instructions

1. Begin by placing the lemon slices and fresh fruit at the bottom of a glass pitcher. Fill the pitcher with water, leaving enough room to put the tea bags into the pitcher without the water running over. Place the tea bags in the pitcher, being sure to leave the strings and tags of the tea bags hanging outside the pitcher. Secure the pitcher’s lid firmly. If the pitcher does not have a lid, wrap the top tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Place the pitcher outside in a place where it comes in direct contact with the sun. The porch or deck is a great spot. Allow the tea to steep in the direct sunlight for 4-5 hours.
3. While the tea is steeping, prepare the simple syrup. Pour 2 cups of water and sugar into a mediumsaucepot. Place the pot over medium heat. Whisk in the lemon zest and continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the syrup mixture to come to a low boil. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the simple syrup to cool in an airtight container.
4. Once the tea is done steeping, bring it into the house and remove the lid or plastic wrap. Starting with 1 cup of simple syrup, sweeten the tea to your preferred sweetness. I usually stir in 1 1/2 cups.
5. Store the tea in the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours or overnight before serving. Continue storing the sun tea in the refrigerator and drink within 1-3 days after steeping.

Notes:

Store any remaining simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use it to sweeten any beverage or as a soak on a cake before frosting the cake.

Make the simple syrup using any sort of flavoring you’d like, such as a cinnamon stick or vanilla bean pod (like the recipe for my Bourbon Vanilla Lemonade. You can also use fresh berries when making the simple syrup, then strain it in a fine-mesh strainer to catch the seeds before using it in your sun tea.

I prefer black tea, but you can use any kind of tea for this recipe. Teabags are ideal for this kind of steeping, but you could also add about 1 cup of loose-leaf tea to cheesecloth, tie it up, and steep your sun tea that way.

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