Your Sweet Tea Is Good, But Vanilla Makes It Better

Taylor Swift may sing in her song "seven," "Sweet tea in the summer, cross your heart, won't tell no other," but whether it's a crisp summer day or a freezing winter evening, there's still always a time for a glass of ice-cold, sweet tea. Sweet tea originated in Summerville, South Carolina, and a big part of its beauty is that it's so foolproof — anyone from an advanced chef to a middle schooler could whip it up — it's just iced tea and sugar! But one secret ingredient will make your sweet tea even better: vanilla. 

The next time you blend together your brewed tea (use Yunnan black tea for a chocolatey sweetness) and sugar, throw in a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to give the batch an extra oomph of deliciousness. If you want to take it one step further, boil the sugar and water and toss in the seeds of a vanilla bean — giving a more intense taste. Remove the seeds before pouring in the freshly steeped tea. Talk about a sweet tea with flavor, without the added chemicals of Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. 

With your vanilla-infused sweet tea, add some honey and fresh strawberries, for a strawberry vanilla iced tea akin to Starbucks' Strawberry Açaí Refresher. Or for something with touch of saltiness, drizzle caramel syrup on top of the vanilla sweet tea. 

Along with vanilla, there are other additions to liven up your beloved sweet tea beverage. Who would have thought a sprinkle of baking soda would pack so much punch? Before you even boil the water for the tea, grab your favorite pitcher and scatter a pinch of baking soda, which will eliminate any bitter flavors. When you pour the finished tea into the pitcher, the tannins (natural chemical substance found in tea that gives it the harsh taste) will be controlled and the flavor will be leveled. 

Another ingredient that will perk up any old sweet tea recipe is splashing in some cranberry juice (as much as you'd prefer). The juice will give a red-tint to the tea along with a sweet and tart flavor that will be sure to surprise your taste buds.

If you want to think outside the glass, take your sweet tea into new shapes by freezing it and making popsicles. Similarly, another frozen alternative to astonish sweet tea lovers is to turn the beverage into a slushie by pouring sweet tea — and even additional frozen sweet tea in the form of ice cubes — into the blender (place a dish towel under the blender to avoid screeching) until it is thick and smooth.