Recipes and Cooking Southern Sweet Tea Be the first to rate & review! Recipe excerpted from Food Between Friends by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Tanous. Jesse and Julie's trick to seriously smooth-drinking iced tea? Add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the tannic acid in the brew. By Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Tanous Published on April 10, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 10 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 6 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 4 cup boiling water 4 bags black tea (such as Luzianne or Lipton) ⅛ teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup sugar 2 cup ice water Lemon wedges and mint sprigs, for serving Bourbon (optional) Directions Pour the boiling water into a large glass or heatproof pitcher. Add the tea bags and baking soda; gently stir to combine. Let the tea steep, uncovered, 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in ice water and stir to combine. Chill tea in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish each glass with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig. If desired, add a shot of bourbon. Serves 4 to 6. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 5 Calories 2g Carbs Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 5 % Daily Value * Sodium 50mg 2% Total Carbohydrate 2g 1% Total Sugars 1g Calcium 4mg 0% Potassium 90mg 2% Folate, total 12mcg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.