Sweet tea is pretty much a staple drink in the South. As the south is famous for it’s bourbon, making a Bourbon and Sweet Tea cocktail is pretty much a given.

The sweetness of the tea softens the edge of the bourbon, and the bourbon adds warmth and depth that plain tea lacks. It’s a long, cold, easy-drinking cocktail to sip on the porch on a hot summer day.

It’s also one of the most forgiving two-ingredient cocktail recipes you can make at home. The tea is the main flavor, so even a mid-shelf bourbon will make a tasty drink.

Which bourbon

You do not need to use your best bottle. Something like Jim Beam, Evan Williams, or Buffalo Trace is just fine. The caramel and vanilla notes in bourbon are a great complement to the tannins in black tea, and a mid-range bottle lets those flavors come through without competing.

A higher-proof bourbon like Wild Turkey 101 works well if you want the spirit to be more dominant. Avoid anything heavily peated or very smoky, though.

Sweet Tea

One of my many jobs in college was at a pizza shop in Savannah, GA. Every now and then, I had to make the sweet tea. To say I had to add a LOT of sugar to the black tea is an understatement. I’m talking about six to eight cups.

As with most things, homemade sweet tea is better than store-bought, so you can adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Brew two to three black tea bags in hot water for about five minutes, remove the bags, stir in sugar while the tea is still warm, then refrigerate. A ratio of about 2 tablespoons of sugar per 2 cups of tea gives you a classic sweet tea.

If you want to get more interesting, brew the tea with a simple syrup made with honey instead of sugar. It adds a floral note that goes really well with bourbon.

Store-bought sweet tea (Luzianne, Gold Peak) works fine for an everyday drink if you don’t have tea bags sitting around.

Cocktail Ratio

2 oz bourbon to 4 oz sweet tea is the starting point. If your tea runs very sweet, pull back to 3 oz and add a squeeze of lemon.

Garnish

A lemon slice is traditional. A fresh mint sprig adds something herbal and aromatic that plays nicely with the bourbon. More in the cocktail garnishes guide.

3-Ingredient Upgrade: Southern Style

Add half an ounce of fresh lemon juice before topping with sweet tea. The citrus cuts through the sweetness, adding brightness it could use. A mint sprig laid over the top of the ice adds aroma with every sip.

A citrus juicer makes the lemon squeeze quick. A long cocktail stirrer mixes it all together without getting your hands sticky.

Mocktail Version

Try sweet tea with fresh lemon juice and a mint sprig, using the same ratio as the southern style upgrade. It’s essentially a lemonade-spiked sweet tea, which, yes, is an Arnold Palmer.

Non-alcoholic whiskey also subs in well here if you want something closer to the real thing.

Batching for a crowd

Mix 1 cup of bourbon with 4 cups of sweet tea in a pitcher and refrigerate. Add ice to individual glasses at serving time to prevent dilution. Store leftover tea in mason jars in the fridge.

More 2-Ingredient Bourbon and Whiskey Cocktails:

• Bourbon Cola
• Bourbon & Soda
• Bourbon & Sweet Tea
• Whiskey Apple
• Whiskey Coffee
• Whiskey Coke
• Whiskey Ginger
• Whiskey Lemonade

Bourbon cocktails to try next:

• Apple Cider Bourbon Smash
• Blackberry Maple Bourbon Smash
• Earl Grey Peach Smash

Bourbon and Sweet Tea

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon
• 4 oz sweet tea
• Lemon slice and mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Add bourbon.
3. Top with sweet tea and stir gently.
4. Garnish with a lemon slice and mint sprig.

Southern Upgrade (3-Ingredient Version)

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• 4 oz sweet tea
• Lemon slice and mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Add bourbon and lemon juice.
3. Top with sweet tea and stir gently.
4. Garnish with a lemon slice and mint sprig.