Southern Fruit Tea Recipe From Scratch
Southern-style fruit tea has a special place in my heart. Every time I take a sip, it transports me back to our first days here in Tennessee. My recipe combines delicious sweet tea with wholesome fruits such as pineapple and oranges. It's a refreshing drink for any day of the year, not just summer!
Ingredients
- 2 Family-Sized Luzianne tea bags (or 8 regular-sized tea bags) (4 regular = 1 family)
- 1/2 cup Pure Cane sugar
- 2 Navel Oranges
- 1/2 cup Pineapple chunks
- 1 Lemon
- 6 cups Water
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
Instructions
- Add 3 cups of water and the tea bags to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil, then immediately take off the heat. While the water is heating, occasionally move the tea bags around, up and down, gently.
- After you take the pot off the heat, let the bags seep for 5 minutes (again, moving around occasionally, up and down), then remove them. Do not squeeze the bags.
- Add cane sugar and baking soda to the pot and stir until dissolved.
- Pour the concentrated tea mixture into a serving pitcher and add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water. Stir to combine, and set aside.
- Using a fine mesh strainer over the top of your pitcher, squeeze the juice of the lemon and both oranges over it into the pitcher. Stir to combine.
- Add the pineapple chunks and the last 1/2 cup of water to a blender and blend on high for 20–30 seconds. Strain and add to the pitcher. Stir to combine.
- Refrigerate until chilled, or overnight. Pour over ice, add an optional fruit garnish, and enjoy!
- *Best enjoyed within the first 48 hours
Notes
**Please note Luzianne family-sized tea bags may be sized differently than other brands’ family-sized tea bags. This difference can change the flavor of this recipe.