While tea may not be native to the U.S., it has certainly had plenty of time to become a fixture in the country’s food-and-beverage culture. It first took root in America, literally, in South Carolina toward the end of the 18th century, and subsequently became the base for one of the South’s favorite and most iconic drinks: sweet tea. By the 1800s, sweet tea spread like winter creeper in Maryland. In light of that, there was no way that eventually the sweet drink wouldn’t collide with another one of the South’s other beloved drinks: bourbon. Together, the two make for a classically Southern cocktail.
Traditionalists are suckers for anything bittersweet it seems. Pulpy romance novels. An empty nest after the last kiddo moves to college. And good drinks that pack a punch both bitter and sweet. Given bourbon’s proclivity for bitterness, it’s only natural that it should be the liquor of choice for those who could use a shot of bitter to balance out sweet tea’s saccharine taste. This is particularly true if your cocktail also includes an extra shot or two of simple syrup to amp up its sweetness levels.
The addition of bourbon takes the sweet tea from an almost fruit punch-like flavor to a more grown-up libation in only a couple of seconds flat. All it takes is a good pour of Buffalo Trace bourbon or some other equally honorable spirit to do the trick. Bottom-shelf bourbons work just fine, too.
Mixing a sweet tea and bourbon cocktail at home
If you’re mixing this cocktail at home, you can start by making some homemade simple syrup, which usually calls for a one-to-one ratio of water to sugar. More elaborate simple syrup recipes might call for heating a combination of water, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger on the stove during the prep stages of drink-making.
As for the tea, standard black tea is the tea of choice for those who prefer their sweet tea recipes on the plainer side. However, because this drink is both bitter and sweet, many home gourmands spiff up the tea with the addition of either a second sweet flavored tea or a flavored black tea. In the former case, adding a peachy herbal tea, like Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion, not only gives the drink some extra flavor but also gives a nod to the popularity of peach flavors in the South. If you’d like to try a flavored black tea, Earl Grey is a great option, because the addition of bergamot gives the cocktail citrusy overtones. It’s not quite on par with an Arnold Palmer in flavor. Rather, it’s subtle and sophisticated — and just the thing to chase away the summer heat.
This recipe works well with a cold-brew tea or even sun tea, both of which require 10 to 12 hours to brew properly. The bourbon and simple syrup should be added after the tea is brewed. As for garnish, lemon and mint are some basic choices. However, for flavor’s sake, it’s also fun to line the rim of your glass with sugar to make every sip sweet from first to last.
