The Consummate Southern Libation

Nope, not the mint julep…nor a mason jar o’ moonshine- not even Coca-Cola; we mean the ever-versatile tableside staple, sweet tea. Open any Junior League cookbook and you should find it among the pages, sweetened with real sugar and garnished with fresh mint, a lemon wedge, or left untouched.

Words of wisdom:

1.) When ordering tea south of the Mason Dixon, it’s assumed you mean “sweet tea”.

2.) Tea is year-round. Perfect on the Fourth of July or at Christmas Day brunch, it is always de rigueur.

3.) Find a way to weave in “fixin’ to” and “y’all” whilst ordering, and you’ll be quasi-initiated into sweet-tea-lovin’ society.

4.) When registering for your crystal, don’t forget highball glasses, out of which you can serve Tom Collins and sweet tea! We love these:

William Yeoward, of course…

Another fun thought:

Charleston is home to the last-surviving tea plantation in the States, which is so apropos considering our British heritage and their love affair with the plant and all its glories. The Charleston Tea Plantation, owned by Bigelow Tea, is a charming little day trip for those visiting Chucktown most any time of year.

Located on Wadmalaw Island, the plantation grounds include 127 acres of tea plants. Visitors can tour the grounds on a fun and educational trolley ride to learn more about the plantation and its operating tea factory. We love including these little gems in our clients’ wedding weekend welcome bags: