Sweet black tea with lemon was a favorite of the oppressive czarist nobility, and under that guise Russian tea became a staple of pretentious Southern households in the early twentieth century before succumbing to white trash cookbooks in the 70s. For many a winter beverage, the revisionist in me finds it comforting on these last few cool nights of spring before summer’s onslaught.
4 big tea bags
3 quarts water
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
Juice of two lemons
3 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
Boil water, remove from heat, and immediately add the tea bags. Remove bags in EXACTLY five minutes or the tea will have a ‘bite’. Add other ingredients, and keep on a low heat for at least an hour before serving. This freezes easily.
Thank you – I love recipes like this. Have you heard of Country Club Ice Tea. It was in a cookbook I stupidly gave away to charity. It involved steeping the lemon rinds and was delicious. Love your posts so thanks again.