Sweet Mint Iced Tea with Homemade Mint Simple Syrup

Now, I may not have been born in the South, but when I was introduced to sweet tea, I wish I would have been. I learned about sweet tea when my sister was touring Florida State, and I was in high school in Michigan. We were staying at this amazing plantation in Tallahassee, which might as well be Georgia it is so close. For breakfast they served us sweet tea, and I feel in love. This is way before my coffee addiction started, so I was open to trying something to go with my biscuits at “The Big House.” It was life changing!

Sweet tea in the South is a staple, and now it has spread throughout the country, even McDonald’s has it…I think! I’m pretty sure it has been over a decade that I have been to McDonald’s. People love it, because it is basically like dessert for breakfast.

I love making my own simple syrups, like mint and basil, for drinks. Simple syrup works so much better than granulated sugar when sweetening drinks, because it mixes well into the liquid, unlike the granulated sugar, which can remain grainy. Another great part about simple syrup is that you can add unique flavors to it, which makes whatever you are adding it to taste so much more interesting than just sweet. The mint infused syrup adds a light and refreshing taste to the iced tea. It is also a natural to infused flavor into your tea, unlike the store-bought teas that have fake flavors added in.

To make SweetMint Iced Tea with Homemade Mint Simple Syrup, simply make up a batch of Mint Simple Syrup, and add it in to your iced tea. When making iced tea, I use black tea, and steep it with hot water. I like to allow it to cool completely, then add in the ice and simple syrup. Add a small amount of syrup to the pitcher of tea, and then leave more out for you and your guests so that everyone can add more if they like their tea a bit sweeter.