Turns out, June 10 is National Iced Tea Day, and since there's no better way to celebrate summer with a cool drink, we asked Southern chef Sean Brock to share his special recipe.
Sean, the Charleston chef behind Husk and McCrady's, is known for bringing back the old roots of Southern cooking—not the deep-fried, butter-laden specialties that you might know, but the almost-lost heirloom varieties of corn, peas, farro, and more. Grits get elevated, fried bologna sandwiches reinvented, and yes, even iced tea is taken to the next level.
Here, Sean shares his recipe for a Southern classic: sweet tea. He prefers using a special Husk blend of Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, and one secret ingredient. We suggest using your favorite black tea of choice.
Sean Brock's Southern Sweet Tea
Ingredients:
3 quarts of water
1.7 ounces loose-leaf tea blend
12 ounces of simple syrup (or to taste)
Instructions:
1. Bring 1 quart of water up to between 202 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (slightly below boiling).
2. Steep 1.7 ounces of loose-leaf blend for 6 minutes.
3. Add 2 quarts of room temperature water to tea (make sure the water is not too cold).
4. Make simple syrup with a 1 to 1 ratio (equal parts water and sugar).
5. Pour 8 ounces of tea into a glass, mix with 1 ounce of simple syrup, and top with ice. Makes 12 glasses.![]()
Photo by Jessica Chou
Sean, the Charleston chef behind Husk and McCrady's, is known for bringing back the old roots of Southern cooking—not the deep-fried, butter-laden specialties that you might know, but the almost-lost heirloom varieties of corn, peas, farro, and more. Grits get elevated, fried bologna sandwiches reinvented, and yes, even iced tea is taken to the next level.
Here, Sean shares his recipe for a Southern classic: sweet tea. He prefers using a special Husk blend of Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, and one secret ingredient. We suggest using your favorite black tea of choice.
Sean Brock's Southern Sweet Tea
Ingredients:
3 quarts of water
1.7 ounces loose-leaf tea blend
12 ounces of simple syrup (or to taste)
Instructions:
1. Bring 1 quart of water up to between 202 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (slightly below boiling).
2. Steep 1.7 ounces of loose-leaf blend for 6 minutes.
3. Add 2 quarts of room temperature water to tea (make sure the water is not too cold).
4. Make simple syrup with a 1 to 1 ratio (equal parts water and sugar).
5. Pour 8 ounces of tea into a glass, mix with 1 ounce of simple syrup, and top with ice. Makes 12 glasses.
Photo by Jessica Chou