Thursday, May 7, 2009

How to drink like a Southerner

We Southerners are well known for our love of sweet tea. Today I'm going to share with you a variation of this beloved drink that is very popular in my home state of Louisiana. In fact, when Oprah visited the town in Louisiana where I went to college, she could not stop raving about this delicious concoction. (By the way, having Oprah show up out of the blue and be the grand marshal of our Homecoming parade is a college experience I will never forget!)



Almond Tea
{Adapted from Southern Living}

{Almond tea looks much prettier with ice, but I was out. I also love serving it in a pretty pitcher with floating lemon slices.}


12 cups water, divided
4 family-sized tea bags (I use Luzianne)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bring 4 cups water to a boil; pour over tea bags. Cover and steep about 10 minutes, then discard tea bags.

Bring remaining 8 cups water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tea, lemon juice, and extracts. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish if desired with lemon slices.


Tastes best if enjoyed while relaxing on your porch. Tastes even better if shared with family or friends.

4 confessions:

Jules said...

This sounds so good and I will have to try this the next time we bbq. My grandmother used to make the best sweet tea. She would let it sit out in the sun for hours and it was so good.

Michelle {lovely little things} said...

Not a huge fan of almond flavor sans actual almonds, but this sounds interesting!

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing. :)

Andie said...

Did you go to Northwestern? Because that is where *I* went to college!!!! I graduated in 1999!

(right before Oprah's visit)

How fun! And you are mentioning your sorority in other posts- what sorority are you in? I'm an AOII from NSU!

SMALL WORLD!